The Necromancer's Matter
by WritingBookworm
Summary: Destiny Seagem was a girl dreaming of being in the school of Fire. Then, just like that, she was a necromancer. When a dark power threatened all Worlds, she proved her worth as a Lieutenant of the Order of the Spiral. Now, as the final, most bloody battle yet draws ever closer, she must accept her fate- no matter how horrible it may be- if she wishes to save everything she loves.
1. Part 1 Orientation

**A/N: Well, this is the first fan-fic that I started writing! In fact, it's actually the second story I started writing- I started this around a year and a half ago, around October 2009, and in short, it grew to be much, much longer and bigger than I expected, and I'm glad my first full-length book altogether is almost over! Well... I'm on the third-to-last part, in short.**

**Anyways, quickly- I realize that some things in here, such as Destiny instantly becoming Vladimir's full-blown enemy after she shoved him is unrealistic a bit after I started writing, I tried to kinda get around that- I couldn't. So if you see some unrealistic things in here, please don't point them out- I'm already aware of them, I tried going around them, but they have to be there in order for the story to flow.**

**I'm also splitting these by Parts- on Wizard101 Central I split the parts into chapters as well, but if I split parts in chapters here on FanFiction, well- it will have +150 chapters. Soooo... yeah.**

**Well, anyways- enjoy! Hope you like it! And don't forget to click that little review button at the bottom! :D**

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><p><em>The Necromancer's Matter, Part 1; Orientation<em>

"Why did I have to be placed in Death?" That's what my little sister, Angie Thunderslash, kept moaning. Her face was buried deep in her bed mattress so only her long red hair could be viewed.

"Come on Angie, it can't be that bad." I replied. "It is a pretty good school, and you know it."

"You're just saying that." Angie moped furthermore, not bothering to look up. "You know perfectly well that necromancers feed off of the life of others to satisfy their needs and wants."

"Don't worry." I said, trying not to yell at her to stop overreacting. "You'll do great, trust me."

"How do you know?" Questioned Angie. "You're in the school of Storm, the most powerful of all. You're a really good diviner, you know. No wonder, it runs in the family."

That was true. The Thunderslashes were generations of diviners, all skilled and powerful, beating others in duels constantly. My great grandmother, Tara Thunderslash, had even been a storm professor before she passed away.

I could feel my face deepening into a dark crimson at Angie's admiration of my storm spells. "Oh, it was just a few lightning bats, nothing special."

"Don't be modest," Angie said as-a-matter-of-factly as she turned her face. "I saw you duel Wolf yesterday, so don't hide that you demonstrated a perfectly good storm shark."

"I'm only an apprentice," I protested, quickly responded to, "Well, you deserve to be an intiate."

I had to hand it to her- she was pretty intelligent for an eight-year-old.

"Don't mind it now." I said. "It's time for bed now." I didn't need to say it though. Angie was already tucked in.

"Alyssa?" She asked. "Do you think Death is going to be everything it says to be? Will it be hard to the core?"

"I don't think it's any harder then Storm is."

"Don't say that." Angie protested. "I hear Malistare Drake is a pretty rough professor."

"He's just a little sullen, that's all." I said. "You can't blame him. He's lost his wife, Sylvia." Then I came up with an idea. "Look to his assistant, Dworgyn, if you're having trouble."

"Are you kidding?" Angie said. "He's crazy! Wouldn't be surprised if he thought Marleybone was in his hunch!"

"Angie!" I scolded. "Don't talk that way."

"Sorry," Angie muttered under her breath, barely audible.

"Good night," I stood up from Angie's bed and headed to leave.

"But you haven't told me a bedtime story yet." Angie whined.

"I thought you said long ago that you were too old for those!"

"I need one now." She protested.

"All right, all right." I turned around and sat down on her bed again. "This story is about how the moon changes its shape."

"No, not that one!" Angie said in turn to my offer. "All it is that the elephant just eats it and spits it out!"

I had really been hoping that she wouldn't have remembered, but just my luck, she did. _It _is _pretty bad, _I thought. So I really had to rack my brain to satisfy her. Then I found something that had been old and dusty and starting to fade away to dust in my mind.

"Well, I guess I do have something." I told Angie. "Marleyboneian archaeologists have just found it in the runes of Krokotopia. It was written on a slate." I turned from Angie. "But, it's nothing, really."

"Tell me more!" Angie insisted.

I turned back to her, smiling. Then I eyed her closely. "All right, I'll begin." I said. "This is the tale of the Necromancer's Matter..."

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><p>Rays of light used the stained glass window as a doorway to shine in Destiny Seagem's eyes as she slowly roused from her bed. The rays of light had been coming from the sun, a gigantic flaming ball of fire.<p>

_Fire._

Today was her orientation in Ravenwood. She would be one of the first students of Fire. She quickly threw on an orange robe with a yellow trim, a robe of the advantage, orange and yellow quartermaster's boots, and pulled a hood over her head called a cap of the aggressor, knowing she had to look presentable to Mistress Flamea. So Destiny ran out of her house to set off in the world.

"Guess what?" Destiny asked her black-haired friend, Sophia.

"What?" Asked Sophia.

"I'm gonna be a pyromancer!" Destiny bounced at this. "I can't wait for orientation! I can't wait! I just can't wait!"

"You don't know for sure, Destiny." Sophia said. "You never know which school you'll get placed in. My brother, Jayden, was positive that he would be placed in Myth, but what do you know? He got placed in-" Sophie left off for Destiny to finish.

"I know, I know, he got placed in Life." Destiny said in an annoyed tone. Then she perked right back up. "What school do you hope to be placed in?"

"Fire, like you." Said Sophia. "But we won't know until Mr. Lincoln calls us down. And for some reason I get a feeling that I'll be placed in Ice."

"Weird," Replied Destiny. "Why would you get a calling the weakest school?"

"It's not necessarily the weakest," Sophia said. "Ice wizards are almost undefeatable in health."

"Yeah, but why would you want a fairy with a squeaky voice for a professor?" Asked Destiny.

"Don't insult the professors, Destiny." Sophia instructed. "Who knows how much trouble you can get in for it!"

"Relax," Destiny said. "We're not students right now, we shouldn't offend them much."

"I sure hope you know what you're doing." Muttered Sophia.

Suddenly the two heard screaming and yelling.

"What's going on?" Destiny yelled.

"There's a commotion in the commons!" yelled a conjurer.

"What kind of commotion?" Destiny could make out Sophia's voice among the swarm of students.

They received shoving and pushing for an answer.

Finally they managed to make their way through the crowd and look at what was going on. A long, black haired and blue eyed fifteen-year-old-looking necromancer was doing something to a guy with purple hair and eyes with brown skin in purple robes, a little older then Destiny and Sophia, who were twelve, but younger then the necromancer. There were two other guys behind the necromancer, about his age, one wearing fancy red robes and brown hair even longer than the necromancer's. A pyromancer, from the looks of it. Standing next to him was another boy with blonde hair shorter then the other boys in formal yellow clothing. Most likely a conjurer.

Destiny burst when she saw what the necromancer was doing to the diviner.

"Stop!" Destiny burst into the area and got a clear view of the wedgie the necromancer was giving, and shoved the necromancer past the other two guys, knocking him down to the cement of the ground. "Leave him alone!" She shouted.

Destiny had been so obsessed in the incident that she didn't look at the expressions of the crowd. Their mouths left a hole where the lips should have been, and it seemed their eyes were going to pop out of their sockets. _Why's everyone like that?_ Destiny wondered. Her attention turned back to the necromancer, who's right hand was gripping his left elbow. He was flashing his all his white teeth, bent over, and gave an eye to eye look to Destiny that gave her a clear message of hate. What came out of his mouth was a little more frightening. "No one," he gritted, and stumbled, but managed to go on. "No one messes with Vladimir Thorn!" He was now shrieking. "Who are you? Who?" Vladimir shrieked at Destiny.

"The one and only Destiny Seagem." Destiny proudly boasted. "What's it to you?"

"What's it to me?" Vladimir was getting very angry. "What's it to me?" Then he quit screaming and smiled one of those grins when you know that person is just up to no good. "Well, then, Destiny, mark my words, you will pay!" He turned to the other two boys. "Chris, Jason, come." And with that, Vladimir gave a flick of a cloak and instantly vanished. Teleportation was the first thing that came to Destiny's mind.

"Where'd he go?" She asked the other two.

"No one, not even us," the pyromancer said. "Knows where he goes. I try teleporting to him from time to time, but I never can, because it's like something's blocking me and Chris from doing it." So the pyromancer was Jason and the Chris was apparently the conjurer. Destiny noticed then he hadn't spoken a word.

"What's wrong with him?" She asked.

"Oh, he's just a little shy for a conjurer, that's all." Jason replied.

"This Vladimir guy talked to me like he was some lord." Destiny realized. "But I didn't even know he existed, let alone attempt to worship him."

"He's just one of those guys." Jason said. "A bully, really. Has been since his enrollment at Ravenwood. He wanted to be in the Death school, always has been since he took his first breath of life. Chris and I have been friends with him ever since I could remember. And if anyone messes with him, like you just did, he always swears to get revenge, and he always does. And you're lucky if the revenge is getting embarrassed in a classroom. For what you just did, pushed him in front of the whole of Ravenwood, that's got to be bad." Jason turned to Chris, who nodded at him.

"We need to go now. I'll just warn you, don't mess with Vladimir Thorn from now on." And with that, Jason teleported, fire insignias roaming the air. Chris just walked away into the shopping district.

"Awesome!" Called out a voice. Destiny recognized it as the purple-haired diviner. "Now not only we have embarrassment, but history to use against him in another blow! Time someone stood up to the guy once and for all."

"What's your name?" Destiny asked the diviner.

"Ryan," the boy said. "Ryan Stormcaster."

"Ryan," Destiny said. "You wouldn't want a repeat of the wedgie, would you?"

"Relax," Ryan said. "He's been taunting me quite a while now, so the wedgie isn't the worst he's done to me. That's because I've really been rebelling him lately."

"Are you a novice or an apprentice?" Destiny asked.

"Don't be ridiculous!" Ryan said. "I'm an initiate."

"So you're ridiculing the apprentices and novices in turn, just like Vladimir?" asked a voice. It belonged to a girl slightly younger than him in blue clothing, with long brown hair, and blue eyes that brightened any day, no matter what happened.

"Esmee!" Destiny called out. She ran to Esmee, hugging her. Ryan saw that Esmee was at least a head taller.

"Ooookay, what's the relation here that I'm missing out on?" He asked.

"Esmee is my cousin." Destiny said. "Can't you see the resemblance?"

"Er... no." Ryan commented. "You don't look alike at all."

"Not in looks," Said Destiny. "But in, you know, personality."

"No, not really." Ryan repeated, scratching the back of his head. "Anyway, I need to get to class, so I guess I'll see you around?"

"Yeah, sure, I guess." Destiny replied.

"Anyway, see ya." Said Ryan, and he walked away towards Ravenwood.

"Cool guy," Esmee said. "Is he your boyfriend?"

"What? No! No, we just, um, we just, err..." Destiny stammered.

"Destiny and Ryan, sitting in a tree," Sang Esmee, "K-I-S-S-I-N-G!"

That was torture enough, Destiny thought. Maybe she'll stop now. But no. Esmee went on, "First comes love, then com-"

Before Esmee could get to the M word, Sophia ambushed Esmee and clamped her hand over her mouth so she'd stop singing. Finally after a minute, Sophia let go. "All right, all right, I'll surrender."

"Good," Sophia said.

"Yeah," Said Destiny. "Not cool! We only just met!"

"But you saved him from Vladimir's grip." Esmee remarked.

"True," Destiny said. "But he just said that he had been facing that kind of stuff forever and is attempting to backfire and has been for who knows how long."

"Anyway, I tried to find you because I wanted to show you something." Esmee said. "It's in the shopping district."

"Cool!" Destiny literally jumped at this. "Let's go!"

"Okay," Said Sophia. "It's almost time for my school to be revealed anyway, so I'll catch you guys later." And Sophie headed to Golem Court.

Esmee and Destiny reached the shopping district soon after. "What is it? What is it?" Destiny ran ahead of Esmee and exclaimed in her face, "What is it, what is it, just tell me what it is!"

Esmee grinned. "If I told you it wouldn't be a surprise!"

"So?" Destiny said. "If you tell me, I'll have been prepared for it and know what it is and stuff!"

"No, it'll ruin the whole fun of it!"

"Maybe for you!" Destiny continued. "It's just that, when have you known me to be a patient person?"

"Never," Esmee admitted.

"But like you said, the surprise will be fun for me!"

"Here, I'll strike a deal," Destiny offered. "If you tell me what it is right here, right now, I'll act surprised when I get it!"

"Um, Destiny," Said Esmee. "There isn't anyone on this except for me. So how is that a good deal?"

"It's a good deal because I'll know what it is, and I'll be surprised when you show me! It's a win-win."

"There isn't anyone on this except for me, so how can that be a good deal?"

"It'll be a good deal on my watch."

"And how is that good?"

"Apparently you don't care for anyone but yourself!"

"If I didn't care about anyone, would I be having this conversation with you?" They were on Elik's Edge now.

"No," Destiny admitted. "But you only care for yourself when it comes to surprises!"

Esmee ignored the comment and went inside a shop.

"Where are-" Destiny looked above her to see what store it was. It was the housing and furniture one, apparently.

"Okay, I think I know what it is!" Destiny burst when she went inside the shop.

"What?" Esmee questioned, knowing that her gift was being found out. Esmee relaxed when instead, she heard, "Fire flowers to plant in my yard!"

Esmee giggled. "Honestly Destiny, not even close."

"Well, what then?"

"You're about to find out, aren't you?"

"Yeah, I guess." Destiny straightened her hood. "Okay, at least tell me this; what's the surprise even for?"

"I thought you'd know that one," Esmee said. "It's a good-luck-on-your-first-day kind of thing."

"Okay, spill." Destiny said. "This is the time to do it, anyway."

"I suppose you're right." Esmee replied. "Here, this should give a pretty clear hint." She handed Destiny a brochure.

"A brochure?" Destiny said. "That's it?" She knew Esmee, and Esmee was not the kind of person to do something so little.

"No, silly!" Look inside." Destiny opened it up and peered. "A quite a bit of furniture?"

"Why would I be giving you all that furniture if you didn't have any space to put it in?"

"What do you mean?" But then she saw just where Esmee was getting at. "Oh! You're giving me all this space!"

"Exactly my point."

"But why would you be giving it all to me unless you were buying me a cottage or a royal playhouse?"

Esmee was trying hard not to laugh.

"Oh, that's precisely what. You were, trying to. Say."

"All along." Esmee said.

"Would you like a tour?"

"Why wouldn't I?"

The shopkeeper handed them a key.

"Oh so it's the key to the house?"

"Yeah. But we have to leave quick, okay?"

"Sure, whatever." Destiny replied.

They headed up Ravenwood, and Esmee was looking up at Bartleby, a great tree. "Good morning!" Esmee called up.

"Hello, Esmee Lionblood." The tree replied in his booming voice. Then he opened a part of him that revealed some stairs and lead to somewhere, apparently. Esmee headed up the stairs, seeming to go exactly where she was going, while Destiny didn't have a clue what she was doing. Must be part of the surprise, thought Destiny, so she joined Esmee.

The stairs led to a huge, magnificent, gleaming room. Little trees seemed to be sprouting, vines covering the bark walls, leaves falling everywhere in a room with a circular perimeter. In the center of it all was a door, edged by what seemed twigs, and a center light shining down on it. Although she had never been there before, Destiny knew at sight what it was.

"The wizard city spiral chamber!" She looked at Esmee. "But how did you know about this?"

Esmee looked straight ahead of her, a long silence fitting in with it. Finally she just replied, "I have my ways." She lead Destiny to the spiral door and fitted the key in, fumbling with the lock for a moment.

"No way," Destiny breathed. "You go by using the spiral?" She was astounded at the idea, as if it had never been thought of until she mentioned it.

"That's the whole idea!" Esmee winked. "Now do you want to see your future house or not?"

"Why wouldn't I?"

"Then be my guest and go through the door?"

"After you?"

"No."

"Cool."

Esmee opened the door, and held her hand out, saying to Destiny to go through. She saw in the door an area with two massive buildings, and grass so green a life wizard couldn't be able to see any mistakes or any signs of withering. So it worked like a portal, Destiny thought. Interesting.

Destiny stepped to the other side, and Esmee quickly joined her.

"Okay, so what's even in this massive place, anyway?" Asked Destiny, her cape seeming to float in the wind.

"I'll show you. Destiny, Destiny?" She was nowhere to be found. Oh, where to begin looking for her? Esmee thought. Then she heard a shout coming from somewhere.

"All right! You can go under a bridge! Nice touch!"

Ah, the lake and stream.

Esmee followed a trail of sand to a nice, shallow area of water to wade in. "You gotta try this, Esmee!" Shouted Destiny. That proved she was there, all right.

"Come on, Destiny." Said Esmee. Her back was turned to Destiny. "We don't have a lot of time, so we need to get through the res-" Esmee was cut off by a cold, wet feel douching her entire backside, head to toe. Seemed like Destiny splashed her.

She was already drying off, though. While she was meditating, the water on her either evaporated or dripped back to the source.

"Ah, haha, ah haha!" Destiny laughed. She was bent over, pointing at Esmee. She then saw Esmee meditating.

"Oh no you didn't!" Destiny shouted, and flicked her cape to the side and pushed it, sending even more water to Esmee, not only interrupting her meditating but wetting her once again.

This time, Esmee didn't even bother drying off. She was smiling. "I guess that's how you want to play it!" Then a water wave of massive size sprouted behind Esmee, and in turn Esmee jumped on top, and the wave lurched forward at Destiny, who scurried quickly under the bridge.

"I thought you were an ice wizard, not a water wizard!" Destiny shouted.

"Ice is just a solid form of water, so it doesn't matter!" Esmee shouted back. She then jumped, did a backflip, landed on her feet in the lake, and lurched both of her arms forward, sending the wave towards Destiny, splashing her hugely, and was now covered head to toe in freshwater.

"Okay, okay, let's see the rest of the royal playhouse, how about that?" Destiny offered, bringing her hood down, because the water had put a lot of weight on it, forcing the hood to sag in front of Destiny's face, covering it.

"Not so fast!" Said Esmee. "You did two splashes, so I need another turn." But this splash wasn't nearly as massive as the previous one. The second splash barely sprinkled on a finger.

"I can't wait until I'm a pyromancer," Moaned Destiny as they were climbing up the sandy hill that had led to the water fight. "Then I can heat myself up to make it so I'm not wet anymore and all dry and clean instead."

Esmee had already dried off from the splashes. "Here, I'll dry you off," Esmee offered. "Don't think I can dry myself but not others."

"You don't know how good that would be." Destiny muttered. Esmee placed a hand on Destiny's left shoulder, and closed her eyes. In less than a minute, Destiny was as dry as she had been wet, once again either evaporating the water or sending it in a water made stream back to its source. , perking Destiny back to her old self.

"So what shall we explore next?" Destiny asked.

In reply, Esmee sat down in a field of magnificent grass, the same patch Destiny had been admiring when she had been staring into the portal view of the castle. "How about looking at the grass?" Asked Esmee. "We need to take some moments out of our lives to appreciate nature."

"You sound like a theurgist." Destiny pointed out.

"You don't have to be a theurgist to see the beauty in the earth." Said Esmee. "You can be a necromancer and see the life in nature."

"It is breathtaking." Agreed Destiny. "But what about in the winter, when the snow is shrouding the grass and the field?"

"Even when the snow has fallen," Esmee told Destiny. "You just know the grass is in there somewhere, deep within. You can still feel the little life even underneath the mass of snow. It may not be visible, but it's still there, living for what seems eternity. The beauty of it can never die." There was a stunned silence for a moment.

"I guess you're right." Said Destiny. "But where should we go next?"

"How about a theater?"

"Really?" Brightened Destiny. "Are you serious? A theater? How great is this place?"

"I don't know, you tell me."

Esmee lead Destiny to a place big in both width and height, and a checkered floor. There were two places above the ground that ensured you with a good view of the play or whatever was going on. There were seats and steps that lead to the stage, which had a scene, a wooden floor, red velvet curtains, and blue curtains with stars behind the sides of the stage, leading to backstage. Destiny ran straight to the stage, and climbed on it.

"Isn't this cool or what?" She asked Esmee, who was climbing the stairs to the stage. "I can see it now," Destiny continued. "When I finish my fire studies and become Destiny Seagem the Great, and become the most beloved pyromancer of all time, this whole place will be the most visited place in the spiral, set like a museum, to see just what it was like in the day to day life of me, and one of the main events is showing the story of my life on this stage! And the play will be called, The Tales and Mishaps of Destiny Seagem the Great!" Destiny turned to Esmee. "I know it's a long title, but I'm working on it."

"Well, Destiny, the thing is, I don't know."

"What do you mean you don't know? This is my future and you know it. I shall go down all the way back in history!" Destiny jumped at the fact.

"You may not be a pyromancer. You may get placed in a different school. You may get placed in death, for all I know." Destiny flinched at the thought of becoming a necromancer. "Who are you to judge?" Destiny asked. "I was born to be the greatest student of fire of all time."

"Destiny, you don't know for sure!" Esmee responded in a cruel tone. Then she felt pained and said again in a softer tone that sounded more like her, more cheerful.

"But you'll find out today, won't you?" She placed a hand on Destiny's shoulders, giving her a reassuring look. Destiny nodded in turn.

"Speaking of that," Esmee said. "We need to hurry through this so we don't miss when Mr. Lincoln calls you down so you know you're school." Destiny agreed.

"There's only one more part of the tour," Esmee said. "We haven't even seen the actual house and space you'll be roaming around in." But all Esmee was talking to was surrounding air and landscape. Esmee ran over to the entryway to the house, and sure enough, the door was flung wide open. When Esmee entered, Destiny was roaming a small space under stairs.

"Hey Esmee," She called out. "This is gonna be where my bed is in the future!" Destiny popped open her hands and arms when she said future, as if she was already roaming the streets and pavement of the distant tomorrow.

But she wasn't. She was trotting up the stairs already and called down.

"Oh, and that big space there downstairs will be my glorious library!" Again Destiny spread out her arms as if she were to soar the air, and then went up the stairs.

Destiny had led herself into a room with another wooden floor then the usual red and white checkered pattern. She waited till Esmee caught up to her and then said,

"This is where my crafting station will be!" Destiny then dashed to a wide space of the checkered floor pattern and quickly made up her mind that this is where she would place all of the artifacts she collected throughout her adventures in the spiral. You can't be going down in history for doing nothing, Destiny thought.

"This is where I'll place stuff I collect in the spiral!" Destiny quickly said, and then noticed the stairs leading somewhere else, probably of gleaming magnificence. So that's where Destiny headed next.

She climbed up the stairs, and loved the sight held before her in her eyes. A stained glass window like the one she had in her room held gleaming rays of light shining down on the floor, almost as magical as fire magic itself.

Esmee finally caught up with Destiny, out of breath, but Destiny could tell that she thought the interior of the tower was worth the climb. "Nice view, isn't it?" Esmee asked Destiny.

"Absolutely breathtaking!" Was the response.

"You know, I can't pay for this all at once." Esmee said.

"Where are you getting at?" Destiny asked.

"I don't have enough money to pay for this fully, so I reserved this for you and when I have all the money, I'll be able to pay for it and you'll be granted access." Esmee said.

"So what I'm hearing is that you haven't paid for this yet, so I can't use it until you've paid for it?"

"Sadly, yes." Esmee said. "And we need to go soon for your orientation."

"Yeah, I know." Destiny replied. She touched the stained glass window. "Not a better place for a study, don't you agree?" Destiny asked. "No, there isn't." Esmee said. "I think we need to go now."

"I guess you're right." Destiny said. So they together headed down the long winding spiral staircase back to the spiral door platform. Esmee used the key on the door, opened it up, and the portal back to Elik's Edge opened back up. And looking back, Destiny stepped through. She was shocked at who she found after both her and

Esmee stepped through. Sophia was standing there, panting.

"Destiny," she breathed. "Last I checked, Mr. Lincoln was on the last names beginning with R! Seagem isn't far behind!"

"Wait, what school did you get placed in?" Destiny asked.

"Turns out, Ice." Sophia said. "I'll tell you more later, there's no time to waist!" Destiny turned to Esmee, who just nodded and said, "Well, you better take her advice and run."

Destiny then scrambled out of the shop, leaving Sophia and Esmee behind.

Finally Destiny made it to Golem Court, where she could hear Mr. Lincoln going around saying, "Mr. Seafountain, you have been placed in the school of balance." Mr. Lincoln handed a boy a novice balance wand.

When the boy leaved Golem Court, Mr. Lincoln called out, "Miss Seagem, Miss Seagem!" Destiny pushed her way through a crowd of students. She might make it in time!

"Miss Seagem! Does anybody know where Miss Destiny Seagem is?"

"Right here sir, right here!" Destiny called out, and passed future novices, bumping into some, finally coming front and center. She could hear the whispers of the fact that she had stood up to this Vladimir Thorn guy. "I'm sorry Mr. Lincoln, I really am!" She said, hoping to make up for the fact that she had almost missed her school calling.

"Well, now that you're right here, right now, I guess the headmaster would like me to say that it's all right." Destiny straightened out her hood, robe, even boots. This was the moment she had been waiting for her whole life, the moment of truth. She then stood up, back straight, in a good posture.

"What school have I been placed in?" Excitement was rushing through Destiny's veins. _This is it!_ Destiny thought. When he reveals my school, the almighty, the all-powerful, wise school of fire, where I'll be able to become a pyromancer and be taken under Mistress Flamea's wing as a student, it will set the course of my future!

Overall, this would set Destiny on her path, and change her life. Then she heard the words slip out of Mr. Lincoln's beak.

"Miss Seagem, you have been placed in the school of... Death."


	2. Part 2 The Duel

_The Necromancer's Matter, Part 2; The Duel_

When Destiny Seagem heard the words slip out of Mr. Lincoln, she laughed. Hard.

"Good joke, Mr. Lincoln!" She stood straight. "Okay, spill. Admit that I'm destined to be the greatest pyromancer of all time, and you were kidding all along."

Mr. Lincoln used one of his feathered hands to cover his face in exaggeration. "Miss Seagem, I'm not joking or anything. It clearly stats on these papers that your test results have landed in the Death school."

"Well, maybe you misstallied." Destiny said. She could get this resolved within a matter of minutes.

"The Book of Secrets can't 'Misstally'" Mr. Lincoln said. "If it's even a word." Destiny heard him mutter under his breath.

"Well, there has to be some kind of mistake!" Destiny insisted. Then she yanked the papers out of his feathers, and studied them. Mr. Lincoln was right: the results clearly showed Death.

Mr. Lincoln was growing impatient. "Miss Seagem, if you would kindly move along, I have other wizards to attend to!" Mr. Lincoln was clearly getting annoyed by Destiny's presence.

"I'm going to report this to the headmaster!" Shouted Destiny. Before Mr. Lincoln could stop Destiny and punish her with a lecture on you can't just lurch to the headmaster like that without permission, well, she did, carrying the papers for her school with her.

"Headmaster, headmaster!" Shouted Destiny when she barged in the house, where a red haired and mustached man was leaning against his wife, looking down at something, until Destiny rudely interrupted.

"Destiny?" Asked the headmaster. "What are you doing?"

Destiny didn't know why he was too mad, until he saw Headmaster Ambrose's wife, Amber (A pyromancer too), holding a small bundle of blankets like a priceless artifact.

"What can be so important that," The headmaster continued. "You have to interrupt when my wife gets home from the hospital along with our baby boy?"

"Well, I knew you were going to have a baby soon," Destiny said. "But now?" She backed off a few steps. "I'm really sorry, I didn't mean to intrude."

"Well, you can't take back a break-in," Reasoned the headmaster. "What's your dialemma now?"

Destiny explained how she needed to become a pyromancer, but had been placed in the wrong school. "Please, headmaster, I'll give anything, anything at all, to become a pyromancer!" Destiny pleaded. "Do you want gold, community service, better behavior?" She was getting on her hands and knees now. "Just switch my school!"

"Destiny, no matter what you offer, the school you're placed in is the school you're placed in." Replied Headmaster Ambrose. Amber was still cuddling her baby. "But, along with your primary school, which is for you, Death, you also choose an elective course." He advised.

"So, this means I can still attend the school of fire?" Destiny asked. This, by chance, could be a little glimmer of hope for her future as a pyromancer!

"You'll be a necromancer, but you'll be able to attend fire school and become a pyromancer, too. So the fact you have been placed in the Death school just opens up another opportunity." Headmaster Ambrose said.

"Here, I think I might know something that would cheer you up from your plight." Amber spoke for the first time. If voices were edible, hers would be sweet flavored, like honey. "You'll be the first in the public to see him."

Destiny took her offer and walked up to the little boy. In the mass of blankets, he was fidgeting, balling up his little hands, and strands of blonde hair on his head, eyes as blue as the sky completing the mix.

"Awe, he's so cute!" Destiny complemented. "What's his name?"

"I was thinking on the name Merle." Said Amber.

"Merle?" Destiny said. "Isn't that kind of old fashioned?"

"Well, me and my husband think it's a good name." Amber said. "Oh well, if it's Merle you want," Destiny said. "It's what I want."

"Why don't you go see the teacher of Death, Professer Lucyia Drake, for your clothes and book?" Headmaster Ambrose suggested.

"Sure, I might as well get the fact I'm in a different school over with." Destiny said. Destiny went out of the headmaster's house and headed off to Ravenwood. She looked up at Bartleby and remembered when her cousin, Esmee Lionblood, had said hi to him.

Oh Esmee, Destiny thought. How would she be able to explain the fact she was Death to Esmee, to Sophie, to her family. It seemed impossible that they would accept it. And what about Ryan? What would he think?

Ryan Stormcaster was an initiate diviner who had been rebelling against a bully in Ravenwood, Vladimir Thorn, a necromancer that-

A necromancer. Jason's words rung in her ears. "And if anyone messes with him, like you just did, he always swears to get revenge, and he always does. And you're lucky if the revenge is getting embarrassed in a classroom. For what you just did, pushed him in front of the whole of Ravenwood, that's got to be bad." Now that Destiny was a necromancer, it would be a whole lot easier for Vladimir Thorn to get back at her. For what she did, it seemed like it was going to be bad, incredibly bad.

Vladimir was a necromancer, a magus at the least. And when Destiny saw that he had been giving Ryan a wedgie in front of Ravenwood, Destiny had spoke up in his and pushed him in front of a huge crowd. He had screamed at her, shrieked at her in turn, and teleported somewhere not even his two friends, Jason Stormflame and Chris Soulhunter, could possibly name. Jason had warned her after Vladimir had teleported away that he wasn't a guy to be messed with. Chris had said nothing, and didn't seem like the talkative type. Destiny didn't know much about Vladimir. She hadn't even heard of him until she met him. But as little as she knew, she had picked up a hint from a conversation from Ryan after the incident. That little shove had been the spark of a possible rebellion everyone had been waiting for, and the flames had a chance of spreading. The message had been clear:

Vladimir now wanted revenge more then ever before.

When Destiny found the Death school residing in between the Myth and Fire schools, she was a bit nervous. Necromancers were rude and offensive, forcing you to quake with fear, and their personality was one of the reasons Destiny was so afraid of the school. And now she had been placed on it. She would stand out like a unicorn in a flock of dragons, because, basically, that's what she was. She wondered what the professor would be like as she hesitantly entered the death school.

Destiny saw the professor for the first time. Lucyia Drake had a rectangular face shape, long black hair behind her head, and other two thirds on each of her shoulders, wearing black robes embedded with intricate designs of dragons and death insignias and a red trim. Bangs were covering her right half of her face, also serving as a shroud to her almond colored and shaped right eye. She was consulting with a male death student who looked strangely familiar with black hair and pale skin.

"Worthy to become a master, huh?" Professor Drake asked while the student nodded. "If you are indeed worthy, you will have to master every single death spell you have learned so far completely, win at least fifty duels against other necromancers and cast ten perfect wraith spells before you get too far ahead."

"I knew you would say something like that," flashed the other student. "That's why I planned ahead of time. I have already mastered every death spell I have learned so far and I get perfect results every time. I can preform now or later, whichever you'd prefer."

Wow, the death student is sure to charm the professor, thought Destiny. But she still knew the voice from somewhere.

"How about the duels?" Destiny knew the student was sure flashing a smile at the professor, as if it were a necromancy charm itself.

"Unlike other necromancers, dueling isn't homework or a burden you give in my opinion," said the necromancer. "I see it as a pastime, a hobby, a profound and interesting way of spell-to-spell combat and express competition. In the past month, I have won a thirty-four duel streak and I have the tickets to prove it." He got thirty-four arena tickets out of a pouch to prove his point, and handed them to the professor.

"You're doing alright, for a magus." The professor tried not to show any signs of impression. "But the question still remains, will you be able to cast wraith?"

"Don't worry, professor, it shall be done, you'll see." Said the necromancer.

"I expect it so." said Lucyia. "Now cast wraith ten times and win those sixteen more duels." The student simply nodded his head and turned away. Then Destiny realized where that face had been from.

Before Vladimir could see her (Hopefully), Destiny ran to the nearest desk and slipped under it, crouching as Vladimir exited the death school. If he had seen her, he didn't show any sign of it, except for a mutter, "That's it, that's it."

A long silence passed before the death teacher barked, "I know you're here, don't think I'm dumb!" Hesitantly Destiny emerged from under the desk to face the death professor.

"Destiny Seagem, eh?" She asked. "You're the only novice I haven't seen today."

"Yeah, that's me," Destiny said, unsure of what to say or do.

"Well, what are you waiting for?" Cried Professor Drake. "Stop staring at me and get over here!"

Destiny climbed the steps to greet the harsh professor. She spotted a pile of novice clothes and a brown book with an onyx at the center. Destiny guessed those were meant to be for her, and picked them up.

"I've noticed you don't have a wand." Said the professor. That was the nicest thing she's said to me so far, Destiny thought.

"A wand?" Destiny stammered in the sentence. "I never received one, ma'am."

"Don't be ridiculous!" snorted Professor Drake. "Mr. Lincoln hands you one after he tells you your school." That's when Destiny remembered that the student before her had gotten a wand after Mr. Lincoln announced he had been placed in balance. Destiny had been so caught up in trying to convince him that she was meant to be a pyromancer, that she never gave him the chance to receive her wand.

Before the professor could say anything, Destiny dashed off with the clothes and book and rushed to Golem Court. Perhaps the wands and Mr. Lincoln are still there, Destiny thought, although it was unlikely. But good luck had overcome this time, because, sure enough, he was still registering a few more kids.

"Mr. Lincoln, Mr. Lincoln!" Destiny called out. Never had she been happy to see his feathery face. Mr. Lincoln turned around to face her. "Oh, what is it this time?" He asked. "Come to give me a little begging to convince the headmaster to place you in fire?"

"No, I already did that." Destiny said as if it were no big deal. "I just came here for my wand."

"I did notice that you never picked it up," said Mr. Lincoln. As he was talking, Destiny noticed seven separate stacks of wands, each containing novice wands from each school. A plan began to formulate in Destiny's mind as she was approaching closer and closer to them.

"You can have it on one condition," said the big white bird.

"And what that might be?" asked Destiny as she inched over to him. "That you return the papers regarding your school to me."

"And why would you need them? The headmaster has it."

"How about I go get them, then? Then after you can have your wand." said Mr. Lincoln. Destiny was right under his beak now, which was making him both suspicious and nauseous.

"It's like you said earlier today," Destiny countered. "You have other students to attend to!"

In a flash, Destiny dived under Mr. Lincoln's beak, aiming for the wands. Mr. Lincoln was rubbing his beak, which seemed to have a little bruise.

"What are you, hey, where are you going?" he yelled. As Mr. Lincoln was talking, Destiny didn't miss her chance to get up and retrieve a novice fire wand, and run to the exit of Golem Court. Mr. Lincoln started to go after her, but Destiny simply shouted, "Nope, you have other students to attend to!" And with that, she rushed out of Golem Court, headed to Ravenwood.

The plan had been simple; retrieve the novice fire wand, and show it to her as hope to convince Mistress Flamea that she had been placed in fire and would be able to avoid death school and Vladimir.

She barged in the fire school, seeing Mistress Flamea and her long red hair reaching all the way down to her back. Destiny gave a bow, gripping the fire wand tightly. She couldn't mess this up, her future depended on it. Fire being a secondary school wasn't enough.

"Mistress Flamea, I am a new novice and ready to learn the act of fire!" she exclaimed in a loud, cheerful voice.

"Really?" asked the professor. "I don't recall you being in my list of new novices."

"Sure, I was placed in death," said Destiny. "But I politely consulted the headmaster and agreed to place me here instead."

"The headmaster can't do such an act," recalled the professor. "What's the story behind the wand?"

"I just told you," flashed Destiny. She hoped she would make as good as an impression as Vladimir had with Professor Drake. "I politely consulted the headmaster and he agreed to change my school, and gave me the wand as proof."

"I mean it, Destiny, what's the story?"

"But it's only true!"

"No, it's not! Don't you dare lie to me, Destiny Seagem! No one has ever switched schools!"

Destiny sighed. There was no way out of this. "I ambushed Mr. Lincoln," Destiny said. "Because he wouldn't give me the death wand."

"I know how that feels," commented Professor Flamea. "I wanted to get placed in the Life school when I was your age. But the book placed me in Fire, and it turns out, Fire was my calling all along. It was just the better path."

"But being self-absorbent, ignorant, and aggressive isn't my calling!"

"I don't know, Destiny." Mistress Flamea said. "You just did show a trait of a necromancer."

"Don't be ridiculous!" said Destiny. "How was I just now like a necromancer?"

"You just displayed the cunning of one," Said Mistress Flamea. "By attempting to steal a fire wand to get yourself in fire is cunning."

Destiny hadn't even thought of that. She had acted like a necromancer all day, come to think of it. She recalled the events that had gone over the day. Boasting she'd be in Fire. Pushing Vladimir. Trying to get the surprise out of Esmee by making offers that would only be beneficial to her. Attempting to switch schools. Breaking in the headmaster's house. Ambushing Mr. Lincoln for the fire wand. And just now, lying about it and risking expellation.

"I do have a few novice death wands I've kept in storage." She went to her office and pulled out a death wand from her desk drawers. "I'll give it to you if you'll give me the fire wand," Mistress Flamea said. "Don't bother trying to keep it, it'll know you're a necromancer and won't allow you to cast fire spells properly."

Destiny handed over the fire wand, and as promised, she gave her the death wand. "Don't forget, you can take fire as an elective," Mistress Flamea said.

"I guess there's no other way," Destiny said.

"Speaking of fire classes," said Mistress Flamea. "I need you to borrow a book from the library. It's called Tales of the Spiral, and it should have a story about fire. You'll need to understand it to become a true pyromancer, elective or not."

"Okay," Destiny said. "I'll go do it now." And she went out of the fire school. First I better change out of these clothes, Destiny thought and headed to her house to change.

"Why are you wearing clothes of a necromancer?" asked Destiny's mom, Cassandra Rubytail, who was a conjurer.

"Don't ask," muttered Destiny. "I need to go to the library." Now that her fire robes were off, Destiny's black hair was put up in a ponytail, and it went along well with her green eyes.

Destiny scrolled along the title of the various books in the library, until she finally found the book Mistress Flamea had asked her to borrow, Tales of the Spiral, and then accidentally bumped into someone. She had light blue hair and brown skin, wearing purple and yellow robes, and a blue hat that curved at the top and went down in the middle. She was holding a staff with a five pointed star at the top. Another diviner. There was someone with her, a boy wearing blue and white robes holding a blue wand. A thatuamerge.

"Oh, sorry," she said. "I was just looking for a book."

"What is it?" asked Destiny. "Storm Spells for the Journeyman," Said the girl.

"Diviner, huh?" Destiny said. "You remind me of another diviner I know."

"Who?" asked the girl.

"His name's Ryan Stormcaster."

"He's my brother!"

"Really?"

"Yeah!"

"What's your name?"

"Natalie Goldenflame,"

"Who's that guy over there?"

The boy spoke up. "Chris Mythflame," He said. Destiny laughed. Natalie and Chris stared. "You're a thatuamerge, and you know, myth..."

"Never mind that, do you know where the book is?"

"Oh, I think I did see it earlier, up there," said Destiny.

"Thanks," Natalie said, and went to retrieve it. Chris was staring at her, and Destiny knew what he would ask. "Don't ask," She said, but turned out to be usless because Chris already said, "Necromancer, huh?"

She nodded. "Didn't want too,"

Natalie got the book. "Got it!" She turned to Destiny. "We need to leave now, okay?"

"Sure," Destiny said. "Tell Ryan I said hi."

Natalie nodded one last time before she and Chris left, and shortly Destiny did too.

Destiny flopped on her bed and got to work on the book, but instead of going to the tale Mistress Flamea instructed her to go to, one tale caught her attention, "The First Wizards" it said. Destiny began reading.

_After the war between the giants, dragons and titans, the first Wizards were born._

_In a third of a spiral, a tornado was erupting. Then the hot and cold winds parted and returned to its source._

_The blizzard the cold air was coming from then gave its creation: a short, blue haired girl who was creative and funny. The blizzard called her Ice, and Ice picked up a rod with a snowflake on top. This was the first Ice wand._

_The hot air returned to the flames, which was put out. And from the ashes come another redheaded girl who was intelligent and powerful. The flames called her Fire. A firecat came to Fire, and delivered her what was the first Fire wand._

_In another third of the spiral, a mighty storm was brewing, lightning flashing and wind traveling at a fast speed._

_The wind was the winds of creativity, and out of the air came a blonde boy who was creative and sometimes dwelt in his own world. The wind called him Myth, and in Myth's hand came the first myth wand._

_Out of the lightning came a strong and powerful and purple haired boy, and the lightning called him Storm, and made him a staff of lightning._

_In the last third of the spiral, was a field, one half bare, the other thriving._

_In the thriving part, out of the grass came a brown-haired girl who was compassionate and caring. The land called her Life. And out of the ground rose a stick, which was the first life wand._

_On the other side arose a boy who was aggressive and would do anything for his needs. The field called him Death, and gave him a staff that arose out of the ground._

_Eventually these wizards all met, and then all fought for complete control of the magic, even Life. Then out of a large bang came out a boy with auburn hair who sought nothing but peace._

_"Who are you?" Questioned Myth._

_"I am Balance," The boy said. "The spiral has sent me to maintain order and stop the fight."_

_The other wizards were angry at this, but Balance managed to sooth them, but it was too late. Out of their anger and hate and quest for power had risen up a huge monster of molten lava who sought nothing but control of the spiral._

_Combining all of their strength into one huge blast, they defeated the monster, and later founded Ravenwood._

_What they didn't know was in place of the monster, instead of remains of molten rock and lava, was a boy. And now they fight with him, to hopefully maintain order and peace in the spiral._

Good story, Destiny thought when she closed the book.

* * *

><p>5 Months Later<p>

* * *

><p>Eventually Destiny became in initiate, having experience in death and fire, and one day, Jason came up to her.<p>

"Vladimir challenges you to a duel," He said. "Three on three. He say's you're the fiftieth he needs to become a master."

Destiny gulped at this. Even though she was an initiate, how was she supposed to beat someone to soon become a master? There was only one person she could explain this to.

"At least it's three on three," Said Ryan.

"Yeah, but he'll have Jason and Chris on his side!" Destiny said. "How will I be able to beat him?"

Natalie then spoke up. "You need to choose two others," She said. "Take me and Chris with you, we can fight effectively."

"Thanks," Destiny said. _You're the fiftieth he needs,_ Jason had said. Vladimir was going to battle her as the final one.

Over the next few weeks, Ryan, Natalie and Chris trained her for the duel, and when the time came, Natalie, Chris, and Destiny headed out into the arena. Almost everyone in Ravenwood showed up, and as predicted, in front of the trio stood Vladimir, Jason and Chris.

Vladimir started off the fight by casting a vampire, and Destiny defended herself by casting banshee. The two Chris's were fighting, and Natalie was taking on Jason, who casted a Meteor Strike. Both sides kept casting spell after spell, trying to bring the other team down, but the opposing team, Destiny's or not, managed to counter. The battle was getting intense after Natalie cast Kraken, but Jason defended himself with a simple Sunbird. Chris had cast an evil snowman, hurting the other Chris, who managed to surprise everyone by casting Unicorn. "Oh yeah, did I mention Chris is a secondary school is life?" Vladimir said as he casted a Vampire.

No! Destiny thought. That was the ultimate strategy, Chris would just be able to use Unicorn and heal everyone when they needed it.  
>I guess its time for a change of plans! Destiny thought.<p>

Destiny cast a Banshee, but this time aimed it at Chris, who at the same time, the other Chris had casted ice wyvern at him, and seeing where the others were getting at, Natalie cast another Kraken at Chris.

They had defeated Chris.

"Bring it on now!" challenged Destiny to Vladimir.

Vladimir grinned. "Believe me, I will." Then he cast a Skeletal Pirate, and Destiny attacked Jason with a Meteor Strike treasure card. Jason was out.

Vladimir could barely contain it. "Nooooooooooo!" He shrieked, and with that, Krakens, ghouls, and fire elves all rose out of the ground, and began attacking everyone in the arena, even the spectators. "Now everyone shall feel the wrath of Vladimir Thorn!" Screams were rung through the arena, and soon almost the whole ring had been evacuated except for those dueling. They were going to lose. Then a ray of blue light came out from the walls, and so did another red ray. Then across the room, a purple and yellow. And horizontally from the right, a green ray, and the other direction a black one. The rays then were all forming together as one blast, brown, and it was aimed directly at Vladimir, who then, before the blast could hit him, fled and teleported. The blast then hit the wall of the arena, then the building was crumpling to the ground, bricks smashing to bits.

And in the middle of it all, Destiny fainted.

Destiny awoke in a bed with white sheets. The hospital. And standing before her were four visitors, Ryan, Natalie, and surprisingly, Jason and Chris.

"What're you doing here?" Destiny asked Jason and Chris.

"I think you've shown enough potential that you can join us in the fight against him." Ryan said.

"Against who?" Destiny asked.

"I think you know," Natalie said.

"Against Vladimir?" Destiny shook her head. "I already was."

"Maybe, but not for the reason you think." Destiny heard Chris speak up for the first time ever.

"Well, finally the bird comes out of the nest." Muttered Destiny.

"Have you read the tale, the First Wizards?" Jason asked.

"Yeah, why?"

"The story's true," Ryan said. "The boy at the end, Vladimir is his descendant."

"What?"

"It's true," Said Natalie. "Ryan and I, we're the descendants of Storm."

"And I'm the descendant of fire, and Chris is the descendant of Myth." "So, that means what?"

"We're all united, trying to fight against him. We haven't found the descendants of ice, life, death or balance. We need all on our side if we hope to fight Vladimir."

"He's looking for them too?"

"Yes, to convert as many on his side as possible." Said Natalie. "The more he converts, the more he has a chance of ruling the spiral."

"Would you like to join the fight?" Ryan offered.

"We'll be leaving to Krokotopia shortly, so take it or leave it."

"What'll I tell my family?"

"Say you got an offer to go to Dragonspyre Academy," Jason said. "They'll believe it."

Destiny pondered this for a moment, and then replied, "Fine, I'll go."

"Then off to Krokotopia it is!" Said Natalie.

And so began the fight against Vladimir Thorn.


	3. Part 3 Sands of Balance

The Necromancer's Matter, Part 3; Sands of Balance

"You ready?"  
>Destiny wasn't too sure about how she should answer to Ryan's question. They were all now at the spiral door, all heading off to Krokotopia in a quest to defeat a teenage necromancer called Vladimir Thorn. One minute, she had been a normal initiate necromancer thriving in her studies, the next she was heading off to a quest that was of utter importance to the spiral.<br>She recalled the last time she had been in the spiral chamber. At the time her cousin Esmee had been showing her a surprise for her orientation, when she had been positive she would be placed in fire. But, she had been marked as a necromancer, throwing away her big plans for the future. When she heard this, Destiny had done everything she could to revolt. That hadn't been too long ago, and yet a lot had changed, including the fact she and Sophia were fighting more than ever. Destiny gave a shudder when Sophia had found out she had been placed in the school of Death.  
>"How did orientation go, my favorite pyromancer?" Sophia had asked.<br>Destiny fumbled with her fingers as she stuttered. "Well, um, th-the thing is, kinda, well, um," She had been scratching the back of her hood, her fire robes had been on at the time. "It sorta has to b-be my secondary school."  
>Sophia's expression looked stunned, but her eyes seemed to glimmer. "Really? Did you happen to be placed in, well, I don't know, the opposite school?"<br>"No Sophie, I didn't get placed in Ice." Apparently Sophia had been hoping they would get put in the same classes. "Well, what school WERE you placed in?"  
>At the time Destiny couldn't bring herself to say she was in death. All their lives they had been raised and told not to get too close to necromancer, in fear of being backstabbed. They were taught they were not only backstabbers, but a bad influence, aggressive, cunning, elusive, creatures that had arose from the remains of darkness and doom, cursed to eternally reap themselves and everything around them. And now she was forced to admit she was one of them. Did this mean she would be one of them? Had her fate just been dumped like that? Was her future not a pillar of light, but a tomb of eternal darkness?<br>Don't fret, soothed a voice inside her. Change is completely normal.  
>But why? Argued another. Why this and now, and why does it forcefully cripple me?<br>Destiny shuffled her feet and nodded over to the death plaque as a part of the circle dug into the gravel.  
>Sophia gasped. "You don't mean-"<br>"I'm afraid so."  
>"But how can you be in death? You were so sure?"<br>"Look, it's going to be all right. We're still friends here, and fire will be my second school. We still might have a class together."  
>"Like that'll happen! Fire is the opposite of Ice, and if I take Fire as my secondary school when my primary is Ice, everyone will think I'm a doofus."<br>"It doesn't matter what they think."  
>"Then how come you were so nervous about what I thought?"<br>"I didn't want to lose you!"  
>"You can't lose a friend because of a stupid school!"<br>Sophia seemed to calm down after that."How about we go see the teachers in Ravenwood?" She asked. "I still haven't seen my secondary teacher."  
>"Sounds like a plan," Agreed Destiny. "Where to?"<br>"Professor Wu."  
>"You chose LIFE?" Destiny burst. "That's the opposite of my school!"<br>"It's not too bad-"  
>"Are you kidding? Those fools are weak! So weak, in fact, they have to rely on spells that heal themselves and never really do much damage! Why? Because they're sissies!"<br>Sophia stood in shock to Destiny's outburst. There was a long silence when Sophia muttered, "I guess you really are a necromancer, Destiny." She headed toward the Life school.  
>"I didn't want to be a necromancer!" Destiny shouted at her. "I didn't have a choice!"<br>Before heading into the Life school, Sophia replied, "You do have a choice, Destiny." Then she disappeared into the Life school.  
>Destiny turned away from her when she spotted a familiar figure standing alone in the snow behind Kelvin, the ice tree.<br>Esmee had witnessed everything. She then turned and ran behind the Ice school. Destiny was now feeling more alone than ever. Most necromancers wouldn't mind, but she was different.  
>What was she turning into?<br>"Uh, Destiny? Hello?"  
>Destiny snapped back into reality. Chris was sitting next to the door, his back leaning against one of the sides. Jason was holding a key that had the letters KT on it. Natalie and Ryan were standing next to her.<br>Should I bring Sophia along? Destiny thought. She would be more comfortable with her alongside her. But no. She couldn't bring herself to place her in such a predicament.  
>"I'm ready." Destiny said.<p>

In turn, Jason fitted the key into the lock and flung the door, revealing a barren landscape of sand and pyramids and deserts. The sky was a deep black.  
>"Wow, this sure is the Balance schools' home turf," Remarked Destiny as they all stepped through. Natalie shut the door behind them. "No wonder the Balance school's here."<br>"Did you know he was left handed?" Ryan asked.  
>"Really?" Destiny asked.<br>"Not only was Balance peaceful, but he was inventive as well," Jason said. "When Fire predicted Valkoor thorn, the boy who arose from the remains of the monster, would return, for unknown reasons when the other offered to build a school for Balance magic on the Ravenwood grounds, he simply found Krokotopia, then fled the offer with his tail in between his legs and built a school for Balance underground where only balance students know the location."  
>"You believe he was hiding something?" Destiny asked.<br>"Yeah, we believe tha-" Ryan was cut off by an orange mander holding a lantern.  
>"Past curfew, kids," Said the mander. "You need to get into your tents and stay in there until morning."<br>"Oh, shoot!" Natalie slapped her hand against her face. "We completely forgot about tents!"  
>"Well I guess I'll have to send you back to Wizard City." The mander replied.<br>"No!" Ryan shouted and ran up to the mander. "Please, this is an urgent-"  
>"Sorry kids," The mander said. "But you're all going to have to go home back to your-"<br>"Wait!" Called an unrecognizable voice. A girl emerged out of one of the tents pitched next to the Krokotopian Library. She wore red and white clothes and had black hair tied up in a ponytail like Destiny. "I'll take them in."  
>The mander didn't protest. He just shrugged and walked away.<br>"Come in," The girl invited, holding a flap of the tent to form an entryway.  
>"Wait, Jason said, holding everyone back from the tent. "Who are you, and why are you doing this?"<br>"I am Neela Waterpetal, an adept pyromancer." She replied. "As for your second question, I have to stay in Krokotopia for a while, although I want to travel to various locations throughout the spiral. So, to amuse myself, I take people in when they need it, like a tavern."  
>Hesitantly, Jason entered the tent that had three benches out lining the sides. Jason immediately knocked out on a bench in the north. The other two were taken quickly by both of the diviners, Ryan on the left, Natalie on the right.<br>Neela got three blankets out of a bag. She placed a red one on Jason, handed a purple one to Ryan and another blue one to Natalie.  
>"Storm's my school, but this will work." Natalie said.<br>Neither Chris or Destiny had a place to sleep. Neela grabbed two more blankets- one yellow, one green – and gave them to Chris. As he was setting up, he tried not to show it, but for the first time Destiny could see a tiny smile, and noted he was glancing back and forth from his pack to Neela.  
>Neela got out a red sleeping bag after Chris settled in. She padded it out on the sand, and pulled out the ribbon that held her ponytail in place. She spotted Destiny. "Oh!" Neela cried out in shock. "I'm sorry, I didn't see you were there." She looked around. "Here, you can share my sleeping bag, its big enough for the two of us." Neela got in and scooted to the left.<br>Following Neela's example, Destiny took off her hat and undid her ponytail. She squeezed into the sleeping bag next to Neela.  
>Neela took out two more blankets and folded them into fours. She handed a black one to Destiny. She was opening her mouth when Destiny interrupted. "Yes, I'm a necromancer. Don't ask."<br>"Hey, I was only going to state that you don't talk much, like the conjurer over there." Neela placed a tan folded blanket under her head. So they served as pillows.  
>"Oh, you mean Chris over there?" Destiny placed the makeshift pillow under her head. "The pyromancer over there snoring his heart out is Jason, the boy diviner over there is Ryan, and the girl diviner over there is Natalie, his sister." Destiny held out her hand to Neela. "I'm Destiny."<br>"Nice to meet you," Neela took Destiny's hand. "So what are you all doing?"  
>"Not sure, really," Destiny replied. "I think we're supposed to find something here."<br>Neela yawned. "Anyways, save it for tomorrow, I'm really tired." Neela blew out the fire in the lantern.  
>"Neela, can I ask you something?" Destiny asked.<br>"Didn't really give me a choice there, did you?"  
>Destiny laughed. "Good one! Anyways, I was wondering, as an adept, do you know Meteor Strike by any chance?"<br>Though it was pitch black, Destiny could see the smile on Neela's face. "Of course I do."  
>"Can you teach it to me?"<br>"When you're an adept, yes."  
>Destiny shuffled to her side, feeling the best she had felt after starting the mission.<p>

_Destiny awoke not to be in the tent, but in an icy glade where snow was covering the field and land, and a frozen lake behind her, and snow was slowly drifting from the sky to the ground. It was a wonderland of ice.  
>Ice.<br>Suddenly a huge lion dashed out of the trees, running on its paws. A girl was riding it, a girl who she hadn't seen before but yet was very familiar.  
>It was Ice, the first to use Ice magic.<br>Then the lion pricked one of its forepaws on a thorn, and roared in pain, and Ice was trying to calm him down.  
>The blood that had gushed out of the paw was now flowing like a stream, ruining the beauty of the glade, spelling out in letters-<em>  
>Destiny awoke, and immediately sat up straight, noticing Neela had already woke up.<br>But that didn't matter. The dream, it mystified her, it even scared her a little. But it had really confused her. She couldn't remember what word the blood spelled out, or what its purpose was. But one thing was clear:  
>Ice had been trying to tell her something.<br>Destiny got dressed and redid her hair before coming outside. Unlike the night before, the air was fresh and renewed, as if they had already defeated Vladimir.  
>Neela was sitting in front of a fire she had assembled, and was cooking some meat. She turned around and noticed Destiny. "Good morning,"<br>"Hey Neela," Destiny greeted. "What're you cooking?"  
>"Fish," Neela said. "Want some?"<br>"No," Destiny remembered the last time fish had been served. She had refused to eat it, so her family punished her by not allowing her to leave the table until it was cleared. She had been sitting there for three hours before eating one bite. She had thought it was disgusting that they would take the time to go out and fish when they could just buy a perfectly good can of tuna right from a store. It wasn't fair to just take the ocean's belongings.  
>"Take an apple, then." Neela threw an apple at Destiny. It landed in the sand. She picked it up and brushed off the sand.<br>"Why is there a curfew, Neela?" Destiny asked.  
>"Lately, a band of criminals have been stealing goods from Krokotopia," Neela explained. "They call themselves the Death Bandits, consisting of three necromancers, two boys and a girl. They wear black clothes with a red trim. The girl does anyway, and the boys have a white trim."<br>Destiny was almost positive that the gang belonged to Vladimir. But the real question was,  
>Who were the other two?<br>"Hey, do you think you can wake everybody else up?"  
>Neela's request snapped Destiny back to reality. "Yeah, I can do that."<br>Destiny went inside the tent and shook everybody up. She let everybody go out for breakfast except Jason.  
>"Jason, before Ryan was cut off by that mander, he said we were looking for something. What is it that Balance hid?"<p>

"Balance invented the one of the greatest treasures of all: the Krokodial."  
>"What's that?"<br>"It's like a compass, only a lot better," Jason said. "Balance made it to suit your needs and wants."  
>"So that means-"<br>"It'll give the person who finds it first an enormous head start on being able to find all descendants." Jason finished.  
>"So you're saying we can use this Krokodial to track down descendants?"<br>"Exactly what I'm saying."  
>"Okay, so this Krokodial gives us a head start. The information won't be useful unless we know where it is." Destiny replied.<br>"I think it's pretty obvious where the compass is located."  
>Destiny racked through her brain until she thought, Why had Balance come here in the first place?<br>To build the balance school.  
>The Krokodial was hidden in the school of balance.<br>"Who will lead us there?" Destiny asked. "Only balance students know where it is!"  
>"You say you're looking for the balance school?" A familier voice called.<br>Neela was standing in the entryway of the tent. "My secondary school is balance," Neela said. "I can take you there."  
>Before Jason could protest, Destiny said, "Great! We'll head out this afternoon."<br>Neela smiled and left. Jason turned to destiny. "What did you just do?" He asked.  
>"I just bought the five of us a ticket to the balance school," Destiny replied. "You can thank me after we get the Krokodial."<br>"She could be working for Vladimir!"  
>"She's going to take us to the balance school, how's that being our rival?"<br>"It could be a trap!"  
>"If she was a minion of Vladimir, she would have contacted him and I would have caught her in the act!"<br>Jason had nothing to say to that.  
>All of a sudden a girl in ice robes and long black hair appeared in the tent.<br>"Destiny?" Sophia asked. "What are you doing here? I thought you were good enough to be accepted into Dragonspyre Academy!" Sophia turned to Jason. "And what are you doing with HIM?" Apparently Sophia remembered Jason from the first incident with Vladimir.  
>"For your first question, Death students are taking an-around-the-spiral field trip to study different culture's fighting skills," Destiny couldn't believe how well she was making this all up. "And Jason just teleported to me to to tell me how he was going to take a stand against Vladimir."<br>"Oh," Sophia believed everything. "Anyways, I wanted to show you something," She pulled out a necklace. "I went to the bazaar and bought a choker that gave me Blizzard, and would you take a look at THIS!" Sophia handed Destiny the necklace and pointed out a line that ran along the face of the necklace. Destiny took them apart, making it a locket.  
>"It's a locket, but it didn't contain pictures." Sophia said. "It contained this." She pulled out a blue sliver of glass shaped like a thin diamond, so think it was like a sliver.<br>"You have a knowledge of artifacts, what do you think it is?"  
>Destiny turned the sliver, observing it. She turned to Jason, who just shrugged.<br>"I have no clue," Destiny said, handing the sliver back to Sophia. "Here you go again."  
>"Oh well, I'll just put it back in the locket." Sophia put the sliver back in the locket. "Anyways, good luck with Dragonspyre Academy."<br>"Thanks," Destiny said as Sophia teleported back to Wizard City.  
>After they all ate breakfast, they concentrated on what to do next.<br>"Me and Chris will be going to the wand shop," Jason said.  
>"You guys are maguses, you already have a good wand." Natalie said.<br>"Picking out one for your brother," Jason replied. "He's in the library looking for something."  
>"That's strange," Said Natalie. "Ryan's not the type to go to libraries, or even to read."<br>"Maybe he's a traitor," Jason suggested.  
>"You've been thinking that everyone's a traitor lately," Destiny mumbled underneath her breath.<br>"Ryan's the one who formed the whole organization!" Natalie defended. "That's not exactly being a traitor."  
>"Never mind this whole thing about traitors!" Destiny said. "I had a dream last night, and Ice was in it."<br>"You mean Ice the first to use ice magic?" Natalie questioned.  
>"No, I mean Ice that cools off a bruise, yes the first to use ice magic!" Destiny told them about the glade and Ice and lion and the blood and ended with, "What do you think it means?"<br>"It seems Ice was trying to contact us," Jason pointed out.  
>"Yeah, really useful," Destiny replied sarcastically. "Any ideas on WHAT she was trying to tell us?"<br>"Possibly something about her descendant," Jason said.  
>"How is a lion pricking its paw give us a hint to the descendant of ice?" Natalie asked.<br>"The original wizards can be tricky," Jason mused.  
>"We should get to this later," Natalie said. "We should try to find Ice's descendant."<br>"I think I know just who to contact," Destiny said.  
>Before either Natalie or Jason could ask, Destiny teleported.<br>Destiny found Chris Mythflame heading to the Ice school. He turned and saw Destiny.  
>"Destiny?" Chris asked. "Are you all right? You fainted after the duel! And aren't you supposed to be enrolled in Dragonspyre Academy?"<br>"Class starts in the afternoon," Destiny said. She was getting annoyed of this Dragonspyre Academy thing. "Anyway, I need you to do a favor for me."  
>"What is it?"<br>"I need you to be on the lookout for any strand thauatmerges in particular, considerably maguses or masters."  
>"Okay, but-"<br>Destiny cut him off. "Thanks, bye!" She teleported to Jason.

"I think that would do nicely for him," Jason was saying as Destiny teleported.  
>"Don't we need to get to the balance school?" Destiny asked.<br>"Neela said she wanted to find a ring that gave her phoenix."  
>The doors in the wand shop slammed open. In the entryway were three Kroks.<br>"I think she's the one!" Cried the Krok in front. He pointed a finger at Destiny.  
>"That I'm a what?" Asked Destiny.<br>"Someone just reported that they had seen a Death Bandit here." The Krok said.  
>"What makes you think I'm a Death Bandit?" Destiny questioned.<br>"Black and red clothing," The Krok pointed out.  
>Destiny looked down at her clothes, and sure enough, her Frost-Touched Cap and her Cryptkeepers Cloak were lack lined with red. Only her Onyx Studded Boots were different, and those were completely black.<br>"If you think Destiny is a Death Bandit," Jason said. "You're crazy!"  
>"Maybe we are," The Krok countered. "But the reporter isn't."<br>"And just who that may be?" Jason raised an eyebrow.  
>"That is classified," The Krok said simply. "Now hand her over, or I might believe that all of you are Death Bandits."<br>"Look," Destiny shoved Jason and Chris away so she was face-to-face with the Krok. "I am NOT a Death Bandit. I teleported to Jason here not a minute before you arrived. So how can someone report us that quick?  
>"Furthermore," She continued. "Jason and Chris here aren't necromancers. And just because I'm one doesn't necessarily mean that I'm bad."<br>"She's right, you know," Jason agreed.  
>"Step aside and let us do the work," The partrolkrok argrued.<br>"And most of all," Destiny said. "Krokotopia is a place of balance. Balance is peace. And it is not peaceful to just barge in here and accuse us of being criminals without any evidence whatsoever except for the fact that I wear black and red clothing!"  
>The kroks weren't paying any attention, though. What they were paying attention to was a massive tornado of sand a hundred times as big as the Krokotopian Library right behind them.<br>"I thought there weren't supposed to be any sandstorms for a long time!" The wand shop keeper protested.  
>The sandstorm leaned in the doorway ambushing the Kroks and giving time for the trio to flee.<br>They ran out, breathless. "We need to split up!" Destiny yelled. "Chris, get Natalie! Jason, find Ryan! I'll look for Neela! Meet up at camp! Without arguing, Jason and Chris left Destiny to the ring shop.  
>Destiny ran in, finding Neela purchasing something in the ring shop.<br>"There's a huge sandstorm out there!" Destiny grabbed Neela's arm. "We need you to lead us to the balance school NOW!" She ushered Neela out the door as she was crying, "Hey! I was about to buy that ring!"  
>"That's the least of our problems!" Destiny yelled as she guided Neela out of the raging sandstorm.<br>Once they reached camp, they saw Chris and Jason had done their jobs.  
>"Neela, where's the balance school?" Jason asked.<br>"It's underground in Krokosphinx," Neela replied. "You need to take a boat to get there."  
>Destiny was paying attention to the sandstorm. It was causing havoc everywhere on a huge rampage.<br>Even they accused me of being a Death Bandit, Destiny thought. It doesn't mean they deserve THIS.  
>Destiny ran to the sandstorm, challenging it as much as she had the patrolkrok. She saw the same patrolkrok in the sand, unconscious. It was clutching a little circular bottle of remains of a gold coin. Destiny pried his hand open and snatched the bottle.<br>No messing around now, Destiny thought. You need to stop this sandstorm.  
>"Are you nuts?" Natalie yelled at Destiny.<br>Destiny turned around to face her. "If I don't stop it, it'll wreck Krokotopia!"  
>"But you aren't a sorcerer!" Natalie called back as Destiny continued to charge the sandstorm.<br>Maybe I'm not a sorcerer, Destiny thought as her boots pounded the sand. But I need to do what's right.

Now Destiny wasn't ten feet away from the tornado of sand. She spread her feet wide apart and planted them firmly in the ground.  
>She spread her arms out wide, and cried, "Stop!"<br>The sandstorm stopped destructing a house and raced towards Destiny instead. She braced for death until it stopped.  
>No, EVERYTHING stopped! The people had stopped, the noise stopped, everything did. Except for a boy around Destiny's age with brown hair dressed in novice balance robes, who seemed to be coming towards her now.<br>"What people don't understand," The boy said. "Is that some living things do bad things because it's what they know."  
>The boy made a soothing gesture towards the sandstorm, and all the sand returned to its source.<br>"The best way to teach someone something is to be gentle to them, not to be aggressive, the sorcerer said. "If that's what they are taught, then they won't know peace, and peace is vital in this world. If there is no peace, then the spiral will corrupt."  
>The boy turned to face Destiny, and she noticed one thing she hadn't noticed before; his eye color. They were a tan, matching the sand beneath their feet.<br>The boy lowered his head. "That's what an old, well, how should I put this, an old friend didn't understand." He stretched the word friend, as if being sarcastic. "Venged for power, he did. Me some buddies thought we had stopped him, but he still raged on."  
>"I don't really like war either," Destiny said. "I may be a necromancer, but I'm just different."<br>The sorcerer smiled. "I forgot to mention," He said. "I know exactly what you're looking for, Destiny Seagem."  
>The sound of her name startled Destiny. She had not laid eyes on him until now.<br>"How do you know my name?" Destiny asked, raising an eyebrow.  
>The boy simply smiled and said, "I know a lot of things." He grabbed a nearby stick. "I know what you're looking for and where it is."<br>"If you know what I'm looking for, then just say it." Destiny challenged.  
>"I can't," The sorcerer said. "Because we're not the only ones who can move around when time has been stopped."<br>"Who's watching us?"  
>"If I told you, then it would give away my identity." The boy said. He stared drawing something in the sand with his left hand. His other hand started fading into sand, drowning to the ground, and started consuming the rest of his body. "I don't have much time before I fade away."<br>"Why are you fading?" She asked.  
>"Just remember what I said," The boy replied, then his body completely turned into sand, time turning back to normal.<br>Destiny looked down at the design the boy had made. It was a capitol V with spikes along the lines.  
>It was supposed to be a thorn, in the shape of a V.<br>Vladimir Thorn.

Destiny ran back to the others with a need to tell them what had occurred. Ryan spoke up for the first time.  
>"What the heck?" Ryan questioned. "One second it was raging, then 'Pop!' It was like there wasn't a sandstorm in the first place!"<br>"No time to explain," Destiny said. "We need to move out right now before something phenomenal occurs again!"  
>Jason turned to Neela. "All right then," He said. "Take us to the Balance school."<br>They arrived on good timing; the school was letting out. A swarm of sorcerers climbed out of the school, and clamored onto the boat that the six had previously taken.  
>"Down the ladder," Neela instructed. "Then you'll see the wonders of balance."<br>As she went down the rungs, Destiny thought about what the boy had said. His words rung in her head: If I told you, it would give away my identity. It was clear that he didn't want himself to be known. And he knew about the Krokodial, that part was obvious. Could he be the balance descendant? No, a normal descendant couldn't stop time and have their body dissolve into sand, even with all their power. Besides, there was something in his eyes that said otherwise. She wouldn't forget the tan color in his eyes, the eyes of the sand.  
>They were all on the ground of the underground school now. A girl with light skin, long brown hair, dressed in balance novice clothes was talking to the instructor.<br>" But I'm telling you, I saw it!" The girl persisted.  
>"My dear, it could have been merely a hallucination" The balance teacher replied.. "Sorcerers can get them commonly."<br>"But I haven't had a hallucination in my life!"  
>Neela opened her mouth to speak for the girl, but Ryan stopped her. "We need her stalling him so we can find the thing we need."<br>Destiny looked around. There were almost no hiding places whatsoever to put the Krokodial. She turned to the book pedistool. Maybe it'll give us a hint or tow, she thought.  
>She flipped though the book and found nothing of use, but did notice a line going around the stool.<br>"Any of you have something to cut deeply with?" Destiny asked.  
>"I have a dagger," Jason volunteered. But it's really fancy and costly and strong so-"<br>Destiny smiled. "Give it to me."  
>"But-"<br>"Now, if you want to find the Krokodial!"  
>Jason gave the dagger to her, and Destiny began to cut through the line. It turned out to be successful. Natalie lifted the top off, and were stunned by what they found.<br>On the bottom part was a slab of rock that concealed the rest of the bottom half, secured by seven latches on the north, south, east and west edges so there was no way to pry it open. In the center was a wheel with seven little circles to insert a finger in, and above each of them were strange symbols. Half of covering the wheel there was a little needle sticking out at a 3:00 angle.  
>"Okay, anyone here know how to read Krok?" Jason asked. Everyone shook their heads.<br>"Oh, you need a translator?" Called a voice. It was the girl that had been arguing with the balance instructor seconds ago.  
>"Okay, girl, what's the catch?" Destiny asked. "You want gold or what?"<br>"I don't need any gold," The girl went over to the stool and wrote down the notes on a tablet. When she was finished, she handed the tablet over to Chris. Everyone hurried over to him to peer over his shoulder except Destiny. The girl stopped her.  
>"Hey, I saw you earlier," The girl remarked.<br>"You did?" Destiny asked. Then a male voice called from above.  
>"Emma, I've been waiting for ten minutes!" The voice called. "Hurry up!"<br>"One minute, I'm conversing with this girl," The girl called Emma said.  
>"Emma Strongblood, now!" The voice yelled.<br>"Why, Dylan?" Emma asked. "So you can attempt to rip me off with treasure card trades?"  
>"Hurry, the boat to the oaisis is leaving!" Dylan called.<br>"All right, all right!" Emma murmured. "Sheesh, why do older brother have to be so annoying?" She climbed up the ladder to greet Dylan. As she climbed she looked down at Destiny and said, "I saw you when no one else or anything else was moving. The only ones I saw moving were you and this other sorcerer."  
>"EMMA!"<br>"I'M COMING!" Emma yelled as she hurriedly climbed the ladder.  
>So what did the sorcerer have in common with this Emma person? Destiny wondered. But she didn't wonder that for long.<br>"So what to the notes say?" Destiny asked.  
>"Each of these seven marks represent a school!" Natalie exclaimed.<br>"Wait, Neela called out. She looked to the pedestal, then to the tablet. "Give me the tablet to me. I have an idea."  
>Jason reluctantly gave the tablet to her. Neela looked from the tablet to the pedestal several times before asking Destiny, "What's the first school in the Ravenwood school cycle?"<br>She pondered for a moment then replied, "Storm,"  
>Neela pressed a finger in a hole, and moved it clockwise until it reached the needle, and a latch on each side clicked open.<br>Destiny could see where this was getting at. "Ice!" She burst.  
>Another latch opened.<br>"Fire! Death! Myth!"  
>Three more latches on each side clicked.<br>"Life!"  
>Another.<br>"Balance!"  
>All the latches had opened, allowing the slab to be lifted. Chris rushed over and removed the3 slab off the pedestal, revealing a dusty compartment that hadn't been open for years, a scroll and a smooth stone with markings on it and a needle in the middle.<br>"The Krokodial!" Natalie exclaimed. "We did it, we found it!" She got out the Krokodial and held it up for everyone to see. Her brother wasn't paying any attention to the Krokodial, he immediately took out the scroll.  
>Natalie handed the Krokodial to Chris, who after examining it, pronounced, "It's a fake."<p>

"What?" Jason exclaimed. "That's nonsense!"  
>"It makes complete sense," Chris said. He flipped over the Krokodial to reveal an image that left everyone gaping in horror.<br>It was a capitol V with spikes along the lines.  
>"Oh my gosh!" Destiny slapped her hand against her face. "Vladimir beat us from the start!"<br>"Who is this Vladimir you speak of?" Neela questioned. "I deserve to know!"  
>Jason opened his mouth to protest, but Natalie quickly shushed him and told Neela everything she knew about the fight against Vladimir.<br>"Would you like to join us?" Destiny offered. "Sure, the Krokodial was a fake, but you showed smarts in getting us to it."  
>"I'd be honored," Neela said, accepting.<br>Suddenly, Chris Mythflame teleported to Destiny. Before he could open his mouth, Destiny said, "Don't ask."  
>"I was wanting to tell you something before you teleported away last time!"<br>"Well, don't just stand there, what is it?" Destiny demanded.  
>"This girl called Esmee Lionblood wanted me to tell you something, she's vacationing in Grizzleheim."<br>Then it hit her. It slapped her across the cheek. The rest of the dream came back, to her!  
>Because what the lion's blood had spelled was E-S-M-E-E.<br>Her cousin was the descendant of Ice.  
>"Anyways, that's all I've got, so I guess I'll take my leave." Chris teleported away.<br>"Esmee," Destiny said softly, almost to a whisper. "She's the descendant of Ice."  
>"How do you know?" Jason questioned.<br>"Her last name is Lionblood. In my dream there was lion's blood in an icy glade."  
>"Even if she is, we have no idea of her whereabouts, and Vladimir already beat us to the Krokodial," Neela pointed out.<br>"Wait," Destiny said. "The whole point of Chris coming is to tell us she's in Grizzleheim."  
>The six looked at each other. "We have our heading," Jason announced.<br>"Let's go," Natalie started to climb the ladder.  
>Before he could get on, Destiny stopped Ryan.<br>"Jason said you were searching for something in the library," Destiny pointed out. "What was it?"  
>"Oh, don't worry about it now," Ryan said. "It was actually with the fake Krokodial."<br>"Yeah, but you haven't answered my question," Destiny said. "What is it?"  
>Ryan eyed Destiny closely, then answered, "The Prophecy of Fire."<p> 


	4. Part 4 The Legend Reborn

**A/N: It's been a long time since I've done this... **

**So I guess I hope you've enjoyed it so far! This is the part that took me second-longest to write... longest was Part 9 by so, freaking far. That one was just... BLEH. It turned TNM into a chore for a brief while. **

**Anyways, I haven't gotten any reviews since Part 1! D: Can I haz more reviews? Pwease? I'll give you a bunch of virtual cookies, cake and ice cream if you do! And I try to respond to each one I get! **

**So anyways- Disclaimer, I don't own Wizard101. Enjoy Part 4- I like this Part. I wrote it when I wasn't such a good writer as I am now (now I'm in the process of writing Part _11_), so please ignore the crappy writing for now! XD**

* * *

><p>The Necromancer's Matter, Part 4; The Legend Reborn<p>

It smelled of fur, animals, bears.  
>They were in Grizzlehiem.<br>A little rainbow stretched out before them, producing bright colors, red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple. Black wasn't there. It was an outcast, just like Destiny.  
>It certainly wasn't how Natalie, Ryan, Jason, Neela or Chris treated her. Especially not Neela. Destiny and Neela were almost best friends now, although Neela was much higher a rank then her.<br>Jason and the diviners hooted and laughed as they ran and pranced on the rainbow, Jason in the red, Ryan and Natalie in the purple. Chris just walked on the yellow one.  
>Destiny didn't take a step on the rainbow. She, a necromancer, held no place in the spiral.<br>Neela patted her on the back. "Come on, let's go," She encouraged. "Your cousin's out there."  
>Esmee Lionblood was the reason why they had all come here in the first place, having a chance to be the Descendant if Ice. It was the reason why they were here, why Vladimir was looking for her.<br>The thought of Vladimir sent Destiny's eyebrows furrowing and her legs pounding against the rainbow. Vladimir, that good-for-nothing, evil, eluding character. Vladimir, whose surname brought up shivers. Vladimir, whose ancestor, Valkoor, was a man worse than him, seeking nothing but power over the spiral the foul villain who caused nothing but sheer terror, even when dead.  
>They all met up at the docks. "So, let's review the places in Grizzlehiem," Jason said.<br>"Let's see," Natalie started. "There's here, Northguard, Savvarstaad Pass, Ravenscar, Mirkholm Keep, for starters."  
>"Any one of those places Esmee could be in," Destiny remarked.<br>"I'd doubt Ravenscar," Ryan said. "You'd have to be, like, a master just to get inside. Jason and Chris can't get in there, let alone a novice!"  
>"I guess we should patrol these places, then," Jason said. "Neela, see if you can find a way to get into Ravenscar. Natalie, patrol Northguard. Ryan, Destiny, get into Savvarstaad Pass. Chris and I will go into Mirkholm Keep. Move out!"<br>Jason said the last words with such great force that it sent everyone scattering to do so.

"Ryan, back in the balance school," Destiny said when she and Ryan were in Savvarstaad Pass. "You said something about a prophecy."  
>"Ah, yes, the Prophecy of Fire," Ryan remembered. "I spent most of the morning yesterday searching for something that had to do with it."<br>"So that's why you were there!" Destiny said. She shook off the fascination quickly. "But why is it called The Prophecy of Fire? And more importantly, what did it say? What is it about?"  
>"Fire was a seer," Ryan began, with Destiny cutting him off quickly. "What's a seer?"<br>"Basically, someone who can predict events," Ryan said. "As for your second question, why don't you read and find out?" He handed her a small scroll, ancient and feeble, the parchment ripped and tattered in various places, words inscribed in fading red ink. Destiny unraveled it and read the following:

Thirteen shall stand and take a challenge,

Weary of age and time,

All of great lineage,

One to betray, in the land of the forest,

One to join then, another found with the enemy,

One in the peaceful land,

Three withstanding a glitch in time,

Following that, the paper had been torn in half, cutting off the prophecy. Right now though, the concern was off little importance. They had to pay attention of what was yet to come.  
>"Someone's going to betray us, and soon," Destiny said.<br>"I know," Ryan said. "I was hoping the topic would come up sooner or later. We need to figure out whom."  
>"Let's run down some suspects," Destiny suggested. "I know for a fact it's not you or me, so some possibilities are Chris and Natalie."<br>"Natalie?" Ryan bellowed. "That's absurd! If she were the traitor, wouldn't I be in it with her, or at least know about it?"  
>"True," Admitted Destiny. "So that leaves Chris."<br>"He is quiet and sophisticated," Ryan mused. "And he was a friend of Vladimir's in the past, maybe he's hooked back up with him."  
>Then Destiny remembered something: back in Krokotopia, Jason accused Neela of being a traitor, than accused Ryan as well. Could he be using it as cover? Destiny considered. Then she couldn't contain it any longer.<br>"Jason!" Destiny burst. "It has to be him! He accused you and Neela of being traitors, what if he's doing that as cover? And he was a tag along with Vladimir!"  
>"Good thinking," Ryan said. "But what about Neela? We haven't even mentioned her."<br>"Are you crazy?" Destiny shouted. "Neela could do no harm! She's sweet and gentle, and I defend her like you defend Natalie!"  
>"So that leaves Jason or Chris," Ryan confirmed. "We need to alert everybody now!"<p>

It was near nightfall when they reached camp- a little makeshift shelter with the perimeter of a circle, the walls built with stone and roof being a few wooden planks set across the top, going from one side to another, making sure the inside was protected from rain and other weather problems. The interior had a sizeable amount of space for Neela's sleeping equipment, all placed in a perfect circle flanking a fire in the middle. To the little bedroom's left was a little rug to eat on, and a little bucket halfway filled with water. The entryway was just a long rectangle reaching from the ground to the roof. The news came at dinner.  
>Destiny and Ryan looked at each other, meaning it was time to bring the news.<br>Ryan cleared his throat, and everyone gave him their attention.  
>"As we were patrolling Savvarstaad Pass," Ryan began. "Destiny and I figured out something we need to tell you, to warn you about."<br>Everyone looked interested.  
>"We have found out," Ryan said. That one of you are not truly with us, and is a spy under Vladimir's command."<br>"And that person," Ryan continued coldly. "Is in this room, in this circle, right here, right now."  
>There were silent reactions from all. Chris continued to sit undaunted. Jason leaned his head forward. Neela's eyes grew bigger and bigger until they were almost little balls out of its sockets. Natalie looked around the room. "Who do you think it is?" She asked, breaking the silence.<br>"We have come to a conclusion that it needs to be either Jason or Chris," Destiny said.  
>"What?" Jason stood up as Neela seemed to relax a little. "Why me or Chris?" Chris still seemed to be relaxed, even though he was being accused. Dang, he's good at this, Destiny thought.<br>"Both of you were Vladimir's friends at the beginning," Ryan began. "And Chris is very quiet."  
>"So Chris is quiet," Jason shrugged. "Big deal! He was like that even when we were with Vladimir!"<br>"But why did you accuse everyone in Krokotopia?" Destiny said.  
>"I didn't!" Jason persisted.<br>"You sure didn't trust Neela," Destiny pointed out. "And you even accused Ryan while he was busy at the library when Natalie said he wasn't one for books."  
>"Yeah, you did!" Natalie stood up along with Destiny and Jason.<br>"Why accuse me anyways?" Ryan stood.  
>"I was defending my group!"<br>Finally yelling and arguing broke out between the quartet, saying rude things and finding the negative when someone yelled, "Stop it!"  
>Neela could take no more of the fighting. "We're not going to find the traitor by fighting amongst ourselves. What we need is leadership, cooperation. What this situation needs is complete control."<br>Neela was right. If they were to find the traitor, it couldn't be done like this.

Soon, everyone got in their sleeping bags, with the sky dark, the stars shining, and the moon full.  
>Neela was to the right of Destiny. Tonight they were going to pull a prank on Ryan: when he was sleeping, they would get the water bucket, fill it with hot water, and dip Ryan's hand in it!<br>"This is going to be classic," Neela mused.  
>"I'll say!" Destiny replied quietly. "Proven fact he'll wet his bag!"<br>"Quickly, check the bucket," Neela ordered.  
>"Sure thing," Destiny quietly slipped out of the sleeping bag and ran over to the bucket, surprisingly empty.<br>"It's empty," Destiny reported.  
>Neela furrowed her eyebrows and tilted her head to the side in confusion. "That's funny," She said. "I remember it being full during dinner." She stood up. "Here, I'll go refill it while you make sure Ryan's asleep." She grabbed the bucket and left.<br>Destiny looked over to Ryan, who was raising his head.  
>"Don't even bother to try to hide it from me," He told her.<br>"All right then," Destiny answered. "We'll do it on Jason instead."  
>"Speaking of which," Ryan looked around. "He isn't here."<br>Destiny checked his bag. Sure enough, Jason's sleeping bag was empty. More proof he's the traitor, Destiny thought. She could tell Ryan was thinking the same thing.  
>"I guess we'll have to do it on-"Destiny smelled something horrible. "Bleck! What's that awful smell?"<br>Ryan sniffed the air. "Smoke," He clarified. Then his eyes widened. "Fire!" He shouted.  
>"Yeah, maybe it's leftover smoke from the campfire," Destiny thought out loud.<br>Ryan shook his head so rapidly, it was terrifying. "NO!" He shouted. "LOOK BEHIND YOU!"  
>Destiny turned around and outside the little hut was a huge fire, the flames trickling endlessly as it continued to burn the land, giving it more fuel, larger and wider then life, large enough to destroy a whole city.<br>But it wasn't heading to destroy a city. It was aiming for the hut.

"Oh my GOSH!" Destiny screamed, loud enough to wake Natalie and Chris, who, when they saw the flames, stood right up with their mouths into perfect little O's.  
>"I've never seen a fire like that," Chris remarked.<br>"Where's Jason?" Natalie asked in a panicky tone. "He's a pyromancer, I'll bet he can clear this out! Also, where's the water bucket?"  
>The bucket was with Neela.<br>Neela!  
>"Neela and Jason are both out there!" Destiny yelled. They had to get the fire under control before it destroyed everything!<br>"Here, if we want to put out the fire, everyone needs to contribute!" Ryan yelled. "Natalie, look for Neela and Jason! Chris, see if you can find a source of water, collect it, and then use it to put some of it out! Destiny, your secondary school is fire, maybe you can possibly clear some of it out! I'll guard camp!"  
>Destiny rushed to the fire, as if confronting it. And as if alive and in rage, the flames spread wider. This is getting bigger and bigger, Destiny thought.<br>She didn't see how her fire spells would help, so she looked towards her ice treasure cards: only one snow serpent. She quickly traced the ice symbol, picturing the serpent to roam through the flames, putting the fire out.  
>The snow serpent quickly came to life, drew back, and quickly headed into the fire, making a trail of burnt ground behind him. It lasted a few seconds, but as quickly as it had been put out, the fire regenerated, smothering the line with flames once again, and sending the serpent quickly slithering away, with fire dancing at the end of its tail. What do I do now? Destiny thought. That's when she heard coughing and sputtering. She followed the sound until she found a familiar face, covered in soot and ash.<br>"Jason!" She ran over to him. "Are you all right?"  
>"Don't worry about me," Jason said. "I'm just trying to clear out this fire." He lit up all of a sudden. "Hey, your secondary school is fire, maybe you can help!" The flames increased their height by double.<br>"How?"  
>"Don't worry, just do what I do," Destiny watched as he pointed the tip of his wand towards the fire, turned it in circles like a baton, then the fire responded by donating some of the flames to Jason's wand. "Twirling it will collect the fire. The more you twirl, the more you collect. The more you collect, the more dangerous it becomes. Then all you have to do is put it out." He blew on his wand, and the fire resting on his want immediately evaporated into thin air.<br>Destiny did the same as Jason, then blew on it, but only for it to send a little fireball crash in a piece of land the fire had not yet covered. The fire reached out to it shortly.  
>"Um, Jason?" Destiny asked. "Mine had a little more disastrous effect!"<br>"Oh don't worry," Jason soothed. "It's a little harder for people who take it as an elective."  
>"Good to know!" Destiny yelled, exaggerated. "It shouldn't be hard for me because fire was my calling until the stupid book of secrets took a wrong turn and placed me in death!"<br>"I remember that day as the start of the showdown with you and Vladimir."  
>Destiny smiled as she remembered when she had kicked Vladimir's butt.<br>"Watch out!" Jason yelled just in time as Destiny leaped to the right as a line of fire covered where her feet had been a moment ago. Jason had saved her feet from being burned to a crisp. And now he was nowhere to be found.  
>Destiny searched frantically for Jason, screaming out his name multiple times as she watched the fire destroy everything around her.<br>And things were getting even worse. She was swaying, her vision going crazy, watching everything being burned and going around in circles around her. The extreme heat must be getting to her.  
>Ant that night, before passing out, the last thing Destiny remembered seeing were two unfamiliar people heading her way.<p>

Destiny regained consciousness on a wooden couch fluffed with a variety of pillows and blankets. She looked around her, in a circular hut, but not in the one she had gotten so used to while in Grizzlehiem. The walls were like a tent, huge and white. The entryway was a white sheet. The ceiling was held up by poles, hole in the middle to allow light in. Across from her was another couch no unlike the one she was laying on. A red aisle streamed from the entryway to a stove raised on a circular platform and a girl about her age dressed in red and yellow, a hood making her hair. In the middle of the aisle was a square table with four chairs surrounding it.  
>Destiny walked over to the girl, who seemed to be cooking. She looked over at Destiny, who stepped back immediately at the sight of her eyes.<br>Her eyes were a pure red, not blood red, but red as fire. In fact, it WAS the same color as fire. They also seemed to flicker along with the kitchen fire, as if there were a fire blazing in the pupils.  
>"Hey," The girl greeted. "We saw you in that fire last night. It was pretty serious."<br>"We?" Destiny asked. "Who's we?"  
>Then a boy, tall and buff, tannish colored skin with short purple hair and purple and yellow clothing entered. Destiny made sure to pay attention to the eye color, which was purple, which was nothing new, but Destiny could've sword she saw a flash of lightning in them. Are these peoples' eyes holographic or what? She thought.<br>The boy dragged in some logs, obviously meant for firewood. He threw them-literally threw them- right next to the fireplace.  
>"Thanks for the firewood, Sto-Stephan," The girl thanked. "We were running short."<br>The diviner called Stephan nodded curtly and plopped himself on the couch across from where destiny had been sleeping on previously. Chris and Stephan would be best friends, Destiny mused, keeping the thought to herself.  
>"We refers to me and Stephan," The girl said. "I'm Fiona."<br>"Um, my name is-" Destiny started, but then the girl cut her off.  
>"You are called Destiny Seagem," Fiona said. "You are an initiate, primary school death, secondary fire. You are traveling across the spiral with five others. You stopped at Grizzlehiem looking for someone."<br>Destiny opened her jaw, but shut it again, too stunned to speak. Her schools and rank were easy to guess, but her name and purpose?  
>There was something weird about the place.<p>

_Hey, don't forget about me!_  
>Fiona smiled. "Don't worry Nikki, we haven't forgotten about you."<br>_You had better not!_ Came the voice in response.  
>"Um, me and Stephan weren't the only ones to save you," Fiona said." Nikki came too."<br>"Who's Nikki?" Destiny asked.  
>That's when a sprite came out, but looking different. Instead of peach skin, orange hair, blue eyes and an orange floury dress, this was a sprite that had red eyes, a tattered red dress, black boots and hair. And, when Destiny found out, a serious attitude.<br>_Well, ain't it obvious, sunshine?_ The words came from the sprite. She turned to Fiona. _How can she NOT know me? She has the brain the size of a peanut!_  
>"Hey!" Destiny yelled. "I have a perfectly well-sized brain."<br>The sprite gaped at Destiny. _You can understand me?_  
>"Well, duh."<br>_Maaaaybe you aren't as dumb I thought. Maybe._  
>"I'm not dumb, period!"<br>The sprite opened its mouth to protest, but Fiona silenced her. "You... you can understand her?"  
>"Well, duh!" Destiny said.<br>"Weird," Fiona said. "Usually the visitor me and Stephan have, all they can usually hear is constant chirping. You're the first person we know to have understood Nikki."  
>"Maybe it's because I'm death-type?" Destiny asked. "And I get it that Nikki here is the sprite?"<br>_No, I'm a mander,_ The sprite expressed lamely. _Yes, I'm Nikki, who do ya think?*_  
>"No, it's not because you are in the death school," Fiona said. "We've had necromancers visit before. And, after all, you did have high hopes of being in fire instead." Fiona suppressed a small smile.<br>That was it! "How did you know about THAT?" Destiny burst. "That is one of the most private stuff EVER!"  
>Fiona kept smiling. "I know various things."<br>"And just how many is 'various'"? Destiny asked, finger quoting various. "Nest thin I know, you're going to chant the people I'm actually traveling withes names!"  
>"Jason Stormflame, Ryan Stormcaster-"<br>"UGH!" Destiny pounded her fists on the table, her head down looking at the table. Then a thought occurred. Destiny looked up. "Speaking of them," Destiny said, keeping her voice low. "Wha-What happened to them? Did they escape?"  
>Fiona looked over to Stephan, a solemn expression on her face, as if she were a mourner at a funeral. Then she looked over to Destiny. She then got out, "We don't know what happened to them. We didn't find them, only you. We have no idea whether they made it out and lived, or if they-" She seemed to choke on the last word.<br>Destiny nodded, understanding what the final word was. "Died," Destiny finished.  
>Fiona nodded, then clutched her head. "Ugh," she managed to say before she fell to the ground on her side, clutching her head, connecting it to her chest, and pulled her knees to join. "Ow, ow, ow!" She seemed to be saying, each one more painful and louder than the previous one. Her hood fell off to reveal a mass of long, tangled, red hair with both orange and yellow streaks that Destiny could barely make out from the tangles.<br>Destiny rushed over to help her, but Stephan got to her first and held up a hand for Destiny to stop. He gradually lifted her arms and let another hand slide to the back of her knee and softly carried her to the nearest couch. "Is she going to be okay?" Destiny asked in a panicky tone.  
>Stephan nodded. "Sometimes she has these huge headaches that knock her out." He said, speaking for the first time. "While she has the headache she'll be out for a couple of hours. Then she gets back up just fine, as if nothing happened and being completely healthy." He shrugged. "Don't worry, it's nothing major."<br>Nikki fluttered over, looking alarmed. _Did she really pass out or have one of those... you know?_  
>Stephan managed a weak smile. "Same as usual."<br>Nikki, actually seeming concerned about something, breathed a tiny sigh of relief.

An hour later, Stephan and Destiny sat at the table, eating a stew of meats and vegetables. Fiona still slept on the bed, occasionally shaking and shivering a minute or two before it stopped. Destiny couldn't help but feel sorry for her. Nikki was flying around the pot of stew, slurping the remains. As Destiny observed the things around her, she knew that there was something strange about the place.  
>"Stephan," Destiny said. "I just have this nagging feeling that there's ... it's just that ... there's something you aren't telling me, huh?"<br>Stephan gulped down a spoonful of the stew and asked, "What makes you think that?"  
>"A lot," Destiny said. "The way Fiona said that no one but me and you guys could understand Nikki The event of Fiona passing out. The way she was about to say something else when she was thanking you. How Fiona seems to know all. And especially your-"<br>"Eyes?"  
>"Yes! So what is going on? I'm not stupid!"<br>_Actually..._ Nikki began.  
>"Shut it, Nikki!"<br>_It's just that, well, what their secret something that only and idiot like you couldn't figure out._  
>"I SAID, SHUT IT!"<br>Destiny said these words with such great force that even Nikki was taken aback by then. _Someone's got the 'tude, huh?_ Nikki muttered her voice barely audible.  
>Stephan chuckled. "I assure you, Destiny, we aren't keeping anything."<br>Stephan looked to Nikki, and Destiny observed that, from his facial expression, he was saying, Say one word and I will squeeze you to death!

Fiona eventually recovered, a little loopy, but she was okay, as Stephan had promised, and Destiny was glad to see that. Shortly after, night had fallen and Destiny fell asleep on a couch but was awoken at the sound of her name. Fiona nor Stephan knew she had awoken.  
>"I'm telling you, Destiny knows too much," Stephan said to Fiona. "She's this close to guessing who we are!" He held his index finger and thumb barely a centimeter apart.<br>"From what I've foreseen," Fiona said. "She's supposed to figure it out."  
>Foreseen.<br>Then all of it came together.  
>She knew what Fiona and Stephan were hiding.<br>That was, if Stephan and Fiona were their real names!  
>Destiny sat up straight. She looked over to the duo, and grinned. "Your flaw, Fiona, was using the word 'Foreseen'."<br>Fiona opened her mouth to protest, but Destiny said quickly, "Don't bother. I know why you pass out and why you know a lot. You gain the knowledge by seeing things. Things from the future. The headache you got was the process of seeing things."  
>"What are you trying to say?" Stephan inquired.<br>"I'm saying Fiona is a seer."  
>Fiona and Stephan looked at each other in alarm.<br>"And guess who else just so happened, or, in this case, happens to be a seer?" Destiny grinned. "The almighty Fire, the first fire wizard."  
>Destiny looked at Fiona. "And when you were thanking 'Stephan' for the firewood, you began to say S-T-O, not S-T-E. And guess whose name has those first three letters?" She paused for a moment, as if she were really pondering it. "Oh yeah, Storm, the first to wield storm magic."<br>Now Fiona and Stephan were really looking concerned.  
>"And your eyes, how they seem to be magical, as if you're a god or such. That just gives it all away."<br>"Are you suggesting that Fiona and I are these Fire and Storm you speak of?"*  
>"It's exactly what I'm saying."*<br>Fiona sighed and said, "Well, you're right. We are the great and powerful Fire and Storm."*  
>"I knew it!" Destiny cheered. But then another question nagged at the back of her mind. "Wait, that one guy," Destin wondered. "In Krokotopia." She thought of how he soothed the sandstorm, how wise he sounded, how he stopped time, how he faded into sand, his tan eyes, his left hand, when he said, "It would give away my identity."<br>"That was Balance, huh?"  
>Fiona, now Fire, nodded. "Correct."<br>"But here is what's bothering me," Destiny said. "The fact that you guys are here in the first place. Aren't you guys supposed to be oh, I don't know, dead? How are you right here, right now, in the modern world, where your DESENDANTS are?"  
>Fire managed a weak smile. "Honestly, not even we know. We're only beginning to unravel the magic of time."<br>"So... you're immortal?" Destiny asked.  
>Fire chuckled. "I wish," She said. "You're right though, in your time, we are dead. But the cause of us being here is, uh, how should I put this..."<br>"Time travel?" Destiny suggested.  
>Fire laid her hand straight, palm up. "Time travel." She finished. Then Destiny asked, "What about Nikki? Is she with you?"<br>Stephan, now Storm, shook his head. "Unfortunately, no. Your present time is her present time. When we leave this time," Storm sighed. "She'll have to survive on her on, with her wits, unless a caretaker is found."  
>"That's sad," Destiny replied. Even for someone that rude, it was a little harsh. She looked over to the sleeping sprite, who was sleeping on a little hand-woven sleeping bag, one side black, the other green. They reminded Destiny of Neola's sleeping equipment.<br>Neela.  
>Destiny missed her so much.<br>"And imagine how hard it will be to find a caretaker when barely anyone understands her," Storm said, breaking Destiny's little mourning.  
>"Wait," Destiny interrupted. "How did you guys meet Nikki, anyways? And the FULL story this time!"<p>

"Originally," Fire started. "Nikki was a regular sprite in the sprite colony, the colony watched over eternally by Lady Oriel the seraph. She was actually one of the many princesses who watched over the colony. So she didn't really know how to work Life magic, like all grown sprites had. But her training would begin soon.  
>"And begin soon it did," Fire continued. "But one day the Princess Nikki was roaming around the border of the colony to spot a necromancer work his magic. She was amazed by his stunning necromancy. However, they were creatures of Life, and the school of Death is the opposite, so the law stated that no sprite could learn one spell of the Death school. Ignoring the law, Nikki went ahead and asked the necromancer for nightly lessons.<br>"A year passed and she was then skilled in Life magic and an expert at Death. She was also a master negotiator, very smart, and even aggressive when she needed to be. She was therefore one of the sprite colony's most valued princesses. She also made an enemy of the powerful Lady Lily." Fire shook her head, as if in despair. "Unfortunately, that was her fatal flaw."  
>"One of the nights Nikki snuck out to learn more necromancy, Lily followed her and caught her red-handed. She instantly flew away to report it to the queen and Lady Oriel. Oriel was merciful and even allowed Nikki to progress in both magics. As for the queen, not so much.<br>"She called Nikki to the throne room and banished her. Cursed her, too. She made Nikki look like this, and forced her to survive on her own. She looked to the necromancer who was teaching her, but she could not find him, no matter how hard she tried. So soon she appeared on our doorstep, pale, tired, dirty, dying altogether. She's been with us ever since."  
>Fire looked at the sleeping sprite soberly. "And soon, very soon, Storm and I will have to return to our own time. We cannot take her with us. Nikki will be forced to survive on her own once more."<br>Destiny felt sorry for the sprite. Sure, Nikki was rude, but that was just because she had been through a lot. But then an idea passed through her head. What if...  
>"What if I took care of Nikki?" Destiny offered. "I mean, sure, she doesn't like me that much, but it can be worked out. And you said it yourself, I'm the only one, besides you guys, you've found that understands what she's saying."<br>"It's possible," Storm mused. "But Nikki has to approve."  
>"Approve of what?"<br>Destiny looked over her shoulder to see that the sprite had awoken. "Approve of what?" Nikki repeated. "I heard my name, don't you dare lie! Well, not that the dummy can lie..."  
>"Hey!" Destiny shouted.<br>"I'm kidding," Nikki said. Lighten up a little, how about?" Then she turned back to Fire and Storm. "So, what were you talking about?"  
>Fire sighed. No wonder, Destiny thought. All of her secrets were unwinding.<br>"Me and Storm- Destiny knows now- need to return to our own time." Fire said. "And according to the rules of time, we cannot bring you."  
>"So I'm just going to be cast out again?" Nikki said, clearly angry.<br>"Nikki, it's not like that-"  
>"It's exactly like that! You're casting me out, just like Queen Samantha did!"<br>"Nikki, we're not leaving you alone!" Storm yelled. "You don't have to survive on your own. We found someone to take care of you."  
>Nikki brightened a little. "Who?"<br>"Destiny Seagem."  
>"Oh come on!" Nikki protested. "I think I'm better off with surviving on my own! This idiot doesn't know the first thing about me!"<br>"I know a lot about you, thanks to Fire and Storm," Destiny said.  
>Nikki looked confused for a minute, and turned paler then she already was and set a panicked expression on her face. "You didn't..."<br>"I did," Fire confirmed.  
>"Would I see you again?"<br>"We'll try."  
>Nikki sighed. "All right."<p>

"Before we go," Fire said as she was putting stuff in a bag along with Storm. "There's someone we'd like you to meet."  
>"Who?" Destiny asked.<br>"You'll see," Storm said. "Waiting outside for you."  
>It had been the first time Destiny had been outside since the fire, but she was expecting to see a forest with bears roaming around. Instead, she found herself on what seemed to be the edge of Grizzlehiem. There was a painted cliff in front of her, and it seemed to be pointing to a huge lake with three connecting waterfalls plunging into it, and tall pine trees stretched after that. Birds were flying across it, chirping happily, not seeming to have a care in the world. It was so beautiful, it could have been a wonder of Grizzlehiem.<br>"Wow, this is amazing." Nikki said. "Hey, look down there!"  
>Destiny looked down. She could barely make out a person on the coastline waving and beckoning them to come down. "See ya at the finish line!" Nikki chanted as she flew down. Destiny found a ramp-like thing that she could slide on. She flung herself on it and slid down.<br>When Destiny got down she saw a girl, perhaps fourteen of fifteen years old. She was wearing a Marleybonian carnival dress that was light blue trimmed with white. She had white skin and light blue eyes at the top of her head a little silver tiara with snowflake designs and crystals embedded in it perched at the top of her head. At both ends of the tiara was a long white veil covering her long, light blue hair. Destiny could make out a picture sewn into the veil: A flaky winter snowfall. Overall, she looked like how someone would dress up to a very fancy and elegant party.  
>She looked over to Destiny. "Beautiful, isn't it?" The girl asked. "I just love how all the water flows together as one, putting everything in place and in motion."<br>Destiny nodded. "It could be a wonder of the spiral." She said. Destiny thought for a moment, then added, "Ice."  
>"Right to the point, huh?" She said. Ice smiled. "Persistence. I quality I admire."<br>Destiny smiled. "I guess I don't have a liking to the dramatic speeches and stuff." She looked over to Ice. "Why did you want to see me?"  
>"A little hard to explain, I guess," Ice said. "How about starting with that little fire that occurred two nights ago?"<br>Destiny smirked. "The little fire?" She scoffed. "That's so unreal, it's hardily a fire! It was inhuman! That... thing could have killed every single one of us right on the spot!"  
>"Exactly," Ice explained. "Which is one of the reasons that I'm telling you that it was no accident."<br>"What do you mean?" Destiny questioned.  
>"I'm saying that it was manmade, someone set it." Ice said. "It was meant to slow you down, set you back, burn down everything so the others could get ahead, to separate you all."<br>"They succeeded in doing that last bit," Destiny pointed out.  
>"I realize that," Ice said. "Which is why mostly everyone should be back at the original campsite, alive and well."<br>So they were alive! "Thanks!" Destiny said, and started towards the campsite when Ice called after her, "Not so fast"  
>Destiny turned to face Ice. "What?" She said in an exaggerated tone.<br>"You're not going back right now," Ice ordered. "You're going to complete a mission first."  
>"And just what would that be?"<br>"I think you know."  
>She did know. "Finding Esmee," Destiny replied.<br>"Affirmative," Ice clarified. "You'll need to find her first."  
>"Only one small problem," Destiny said. "I have no idea where she is."<br>"I do."  
>"Where?"<br>"Ravenscar."  
>Destiny froze. How did Esmee...<br>"Teleportation is a nice method to use around the spiral," Ice remarked. "Bears may guard the doors, but they never make teleportation off-limits."  
>Destiny sighed. "Okay, so let's assume she is in Ravenscar," Destiny assumed. "How do I get in?"<br>"Easy," Ice said. "Teleport to me, then it'll be up to you."  
>"That's good to know."<p>

Ice and Destiny returned to the hut where Fire and Storm had finished packing.  
>Fire and Storm said farewell to Nikki in a heartbreaking way. Then they went over to Destiny and said their goodbyes to her, too. But Fire didn't leave her without saying, "That first night, when I was out, I saw a long journey ahead of you." Destiny nodded.<br>Fire went out the entry, followed by Storm. Destiny and Nikki watched as Fire and Storm stood together as bright lights their height appeared, one red, one purple, and they slowly came for them, encasing them in the light, then both the light and the two legendary wizards disappeared. Nikki wept, but no sound came out.  
>Ice immediately turned to Destiny. "Here's where things get serious," She said. "I'll teleport to Ravenscar and give you a minute or two to pack and get powerful gear on. I expect it to be the best you've got, because I've got a feeling that the enemy is within the walls of Ravenscar." She then teleported.<br>Destiny was ready. She already had her gear on, and quickly checked to see if her spells were in place. Good. She was set. She turned to Nikki. "Are you ready?" Destiny asked.  
>I guess so.<br>Destiny took a last look at the hut she had lived in for the past few days. Then, with fierce determination, Nikki at her side, and eyes shut, Destiny teleported out of the hut and into the dangerous walls of Ravenscar.

Destiny had been expecting more forest area when in Ravenscar. So she was shocked to find herself in an icy cavern.  
>She turned around and found Ice. "I hope you find my descendant safe and well," She said. "But before I go, I need to give you this." This was referring to an intricately carved snowflake the size of Destiny's hand. "What is it?" Destiny asked.<br>"It's like a charm," Ice explained. "Use it in distress. Crash it at your feet, and a powerful Ice treasure card will appear in your hand."  
>Destiny nodded. "Good luck," Ice said. "I have a feeling you'll need it." And with that, a flash of light appeared behind Ice, this time light blue, moved slowly towards Ice and engulfed her and then evaporated, just as it had done with Fire and Storm.<br>Destiny stuffed the snowflake in her pouch, and then looked around the cave. Now that Ice had gone back to her own time, Destiny was nervous. Until she saw a face all too well familiar to her.  
>"Neela!" Destiny called out as she ran towards the girl who had spun around, taken aback.<br>"Destiny!" Neela replied as she gave Destiny a small hug. "My, my, my, where have you been?" Neela noticed Nikki. "Who's this?"  
><em>Whoever she is, whether you trust her or not, do NOT tell her about Fire and Storm,<em> Nikki begged. _Actually, tell no one. They would have wanted it that way. _  
>"I escaped the fire, hiding out in Savvarstaad Pass for a while," Destiny lied. "That's where I met Nikki. Turns out, I'm the only one who can understand her." Partially true.<br>"That explains the chirping I hear," Neela said. "I found my way to Jason, who found his way to Ryan. With teamwork, we managed to put out the fire, but you were gone. Today, Jason assigned tasks again like we did when we first made it into Grizzlehiem, but this time we were looking for you. I so happened to get Ravenscar assigned to me again. And what do you know, you're here!" Neela then pasted a suspicious look on her face. "Wait, how did you get here anyways?"  
>"Teleportation."<br>Neela nodded. "Same for me." Neela turned around to head back for camp, but Destiny stopped her.  
>"Wait, also," Destiny began. "I came here to find Esmee, and I intend to finish the job. I know she's in here."<br>Neela nodded again. "All right." They then set out to look for her.  
>A few minutes passed without success, when Destiny heard something behind her. She looked behind her to see nothing unusual, but Destiny could have sworn she saw a flash of black.<br>"What was that?" Destiny asked.  
>"What was what?" Neela asked, swirling around and gripping her staff in a fighting position.<br>"Nothing, I guess." Destiny shrugged.  
>But Destiny was on full alert now. Something didn't feel right. She secretly looked at a nearby bush and saw the same flash of black she had seen not a minute earlier.<br>Someone was stalking them.  
>Destiny took a peek at her life treasure cards. She sighed. Leprechaun would have to do.<br>She speedily turned at the bush, traced the life symbol, and a leprechaun popped out, heading for the bush, but then immediately stopped when near. Destiny then saw the blade of onyx that had pierced through its heart. A voice then made its way out of the bush, "Pretty resourceful of you to survive the arena incident." A teenage boy stepped out, with pale skin, charming blue eyes, and shoulder-length black hair. He was all too familiar, and he seemed to wear new and improvised gear. Destiny could tell he had made his way through being a magus to late masterdom.  
>"Shocking, too, because you weren't supposed to." Vladimir Thorn said.<br>"I know," Destiny said, mocking a sweet smile. "Too bad, I did!" She casted a banshee at him, which did stun Vladimir a little, but not a whole lot.  
>"Actually, despite our differences," Vladimir said. "I think you would make a good addition to our little troop."<br>"Fat chance, lame-o!" Destiny shot back. She raised her wand in preparation to cast a sunbird at him, but then noticed he had used the word "Our".  
>Oh no.<br>Destiny turned to Neela, who already had her sword raised, quite different from the nirini staff she had been carrying around with her barely moments before. And sure enough, the sword she now held was painstakingly resembling Vladimir's.  
>"Very boring to resemble a puny fire adept," Neela said. "This is the true Neela Waterpetal, master of the Death school!"<p>

"Very boring to resemble a puny fire adept," Neela said. "This is the true Neela Waterpetal, master of the Death school!" She quickly casted a wraith at Destiny.  
>"You set the fire!" Destiny said as she dodged the wraith's blows. "YOU falsely claimed to the patrolkrok that I was a death bandit! You knew how to get to the Krokodial because you had gotten to it before! Jason was right!" With the final three words, Destiny ducked under the ax, twisted it free from its boney grip, ran behind it, and drove its own ax into the heart, like what Vladimir had done earlier with the leprechaun. The wraith collapsed in front of Neela to make way for Destiny's face- a perfect mixture of anger, hate and loss.<br>"You betrayed me," Destiny said through clenched teeth, the wraith's ax still held up high. "But more importantly, you betrayed the spiral. You betrayed yourself!"  
>"But I didn't betray my relative Valkoor, did I?" Neela questioned.<br>"Great," Destiny mumbled. "Another thorn to add!"  
>"Don't get all mean with the last names," Neela said. "Here's a little lesson about family history: Valkoor was more of a great-great-great-great-great-great-uncle, so overall, my surname is still Waterpetal, not Thorn."<br>As Neela was distracted talking, Destiny casted a Life blade on herself. Neela didn't even notice.  
>"I don't care if Valkoor was your how many greats uncle or a pet rock!" Destiny yelled as she secretly rummaged through life treasure cards. "I trusted you! You were my best friend!" Destiny added for effect.<br>Neela laughed. "You'd think that I'd befriend an initiate?" She scoffed, and laughed some more.  
>Destiny grinned. "I believe that it's my turn to laugh!" She said as she casted seraph. Again, as Neela was distracted, Destiny pulled out the glass snowflake, threw it on the ground, and right when it landed, Destiny stomped on it for extra pressure. Sure enough, the snowflake burst into pieces. Destiny hoped that it would turn into a powerful one, enough to show Neela and Vladimir what she was made of!<br>Slowly, snow started to fall in her palm, putting together the powerful Ice spell Ice had talked about. The treasure card revealed to be a...  
>Frost Beetle? Destiny thought, confused. Well, Ice did say it was powerful, I guess I'll try it. She traced the Ice symbol and a frost beetle came to life. Surprisingly, the beetle turned around towards Destiny, and lowered its tusks. Destiny then had a crazy thought and tried it out. She rushed towards the beetle, grabbed a tusk, and started climbing it all the way to the head. It was very cold. The beetle turned back towards Neela. It rampaged towards her, intending to do damage with the tusks. Neela ran to avoid it as the beetle charged. And while that was happening, another treasure card appeared in Destiny's hand, this time a snow serpent. Confused, Destiny cast it, and the serpent raced down the beetle and caught up to Neela. It entwined around her legs as yet another treasure card appeared. This time, it was an evil snowman.<br>Oh, I get it! Destiny realized. It's not one, but a multitude of treasure cards! Each is a higher rank then the previous one!  
>Destiny brought the snowman to life, the snowman charging to Neela. As Neela fought dagger-to-sword with the snowman, another spell headed its way, a leprechaun. But Destiny didn't cast it.<br>What the-  
>Nikki came out behind a rock, chuckling. <em>If you know the full story,<em> Nikki said. _You'll know I work Life magic!_  
>Destiny smiled as she cast an Ice Wyvern that appeared in her hand. Neela didn't seem to be struggling any longer. She had split the serpent and snowman in two, as well as killing the leprechaun. The wyvern pulled out an icicle and thrust it at Neela, who blocked it with the blade of her sword. Nikki was busy casting another seraph as the wyvern continued to thrust icicles when all of s sudden a Frost Colossus loomed out of the trees and onto the battlefield, charging at Vladimir.<br>What the-  
>That's when a tall girl with long brown hair and blue and white Krokotopian clothes and blue eyes came out, winking at Destiny and pointing a runed sapphire wand back and forth between Neela and Vladimir.<br>Destiny's cousin and possibly the descendant of Ice, Esmee Lionblood.

As he killed the colossus with another wraith and stomach on the icy ground, Vladimir pulled out a smooth, sleek brown stone that had exquisite marking around the perimeter and a needle in the middle. The Krokodial! The needle was going crazy, just spinning around in circles faster and faster as Vladimir stood up and walked towards Esmee. It had found the descendant of Ice.  
>"One of the few," Vladimir clarified, voice low. "I'm guessing of Ice."<br>"For once," Esmee started. "A descendant of Valkoor is correct."  
>"Wait, wait, wait," Destiny cut in. "You're the descendant of Ice and you knew it?"<br>"Why wouldn't I?" Esmee asked. Her head turned back to Vladimir. "Let's get this party started, how about?" Esmee traced the Ice symbol as Destiny prepared a sunbird.  
>Esmee's wyvern popped out while Destiny's spell fizzled. The wyvern clawed Vladimir as he quickly drew a skeletal pirate. Then a vampire joined the party as Neela rushed to Vladimir's side. Destiny gave a shiver as she pictured all the things Neela could have done to the wyvern she had cast.<br>"Two against two," Neela mused. "Seems fair."  
>"If you're saying that two masters against an initiate and a journeyman is fair," Esmee countered. "You're right."<br>But Destiny was thinking. It was like Esmee had said; they were masters while they were low-leveled. They didn't stand a chance, not today.  
>"Nikki!" Destiny called. As Nikki flew over, she grabbed Esmee's hand tensely. "We don't stand a chance! We need to make it out of here before they kill us!"<br>Esmee understood. Destiny grabbed Esmee's and Nikki's hand, visualized Northguard, and teleported away from Vladimir and Neela.  
>They all appeared back at Northguard and barely took in the fact that they had arrived when they heard a voice call out, "Destiny!"<br>Ryan Stormcaster was running towards Destiny, with Chris, Jason, and Natalie right behind him. Esmee nudged Destiny. "Hey, isn't that the guy who got that wedgie on the day of your orientation?" Destiny nodded.  
>Ryan stopped in front of them. "Oh my gosh!" He said, laughing. "We thought you were dead!"<br>"Yay, Destiny's back!" Natalie rushed to Destiny and gave her a hug.  
>"I told you guys!" Jason bragged. He looked to Esmee, then to Nikki. "Who are they?"<br>"This is Esmee Lionblood-" Destiny started, with Esmee cutting her off. "Descendant of Ice," Esmee proudly added.  
>Jason's face lit up. "One more descendant down!" He cheered. "Now we have five descendants, we only need three more!" He looked at Nikki. "But who is this? Better not be working for Vladimir!"<br>Destiny giggled. "Relax, Jason. Basically, Nikki is an exiled sprite princess." Then her face turned sad. "But speaking of Vladimir, Neela, she, she-"  
>Ryan nodded. "We know. Neela was the traitor all along."<br>"Shortly after we were separated," Jason said. "I found Neela grinning evilly in death robes. She casted a wraith, followed by a meteor strike, at me!"  
>Destiny nodded. "I found her in Ravenscar, still thinking that she was aligned with us. That's when Vladimir turned up. I found out she was the traitor, battled them with Ice spells, Esmee turned up, then fled to here, with her and Nikki."<br>"Wait, wait," Ryan said. "You battled Vladimir? Lucky!"  
>"Well, I battled Neela more than Vladimir, using a bunch of Ice spells." Destiny replied.<br>"You used Ice spells?" Jason questioned. "But your primary school is death, secondary fire, and had no Ice treasure cards, so how?"  
>Destiny looked over to Nikki. "Should I tell them?" She asked. "Honestly, they deserve to know."<br>But Fire and Storm and Ice, it's not what they would have wanted! Nikki protested.  
>"Nikki, they are their descendants!" Destiny yelled. "They deserve to know about their lineage!"<br>"Wait, it has something to do with our ancestors?" Natalie asked.  
>Despite Nikki's protests throughout, Destiny told them the whole story.<br>"So, they're all immortal?" Ryan asked.  
>"That's what I thought," Destiny replied. "They are dead. I think it had to do with time travel."<br>"Okay, although it would have been cool to meet our ancestors," Esmee interrupted. "We need to take a break from this thing, because I have something I want to show Destiny."  
>"What is it?" Destiny asked.<br>Esmee made a gesture and led them over to the Grizzlehiem spiral door. Destiny had a feeling they were going to leave Grizzlehiem, so she gave it a last look before stepping through the door to see what Esmee had in store.

Destiny had left Grizzlehiem to look at a landscape with a little river, a beach, a little grove, and a huge house. Destiny knew on sight what it was.  
>"A cottage?" Destiny marveled as the others stepped through.<br>Esmee nodded. "And the cool part? It's all yours I decided that I had to give up on the royal playhouse, so I bought this instead." Esmee scratched the back of her head, feeling nervous. "I hope its good enough, wait, Destiny?" Esmee looked around. Then she heard a scream. "This is AWESOME!"  
>Esmee and the others laughed. Destiny was behaving not unlike the time Esmee had given her a tour of the royal playhouse on the day of her orientation.<br>"Wait, wait," Jason cried out. "Come back over here!"  
>Destiny did.<br>"Destiny, I'm wondering," Jason said. "May this serve as a base?"  
>"B-but-" Destiny stammered. "It's my home. I've been waiting for this for a while! It's mine!"<br>"I didn't mean it like we live in it," Jason reassured. "I'm just wondering if we can store plans and stuff here so Vladimir or Neela, you know, can't reach it."  
>"Oh," Destiny said. "Sure."<br>"Another thing," Jason said. "We need to implant ourselves in Vladimir's brain, so we might want to come up with names and ranks."  
>"How the Line of Descendants?" Esmee suggested.<br>"Not all of us are descendants," Destiny pointed out.  
>Esmee blushed. "Oh, right. Sorry."<br>"How about the Mighty?" Ryan asked.  
>"Too short," Jason replied.<br>"How about the Order of the Spiral?" Natalie suggested.  
>Jason scratched his chin. "I like that," He said. Chris nodded his agreement, and the others joined him. "It's decided," Ryan clarified. "We are officially the Order of the Spiral."<br>Jason nodded his approval. "Now for army ranks, like commander, sergeant and lieutenant." He said. "First let's nominate the commander."  
>Natalie raised her hand. "I nominate Ryan Stormcaster, Descendant of Storm."<br>Destiny nodded. "He's a descendant of the most powerful founder, very determined, founder of the group," She reasoned.  
>Ryan smiled.<br>"Anybody else?" Jason called.  
>Esmee slowly raised her hand. "I nominate Jason Stormflame, Descendant of Fire."<br>"Powerful, high-ranking, smart," Chris mused.  
>"Anybody else?" Jason called again.<br>Nobody spoke.  
>"Let's take a vote then," Ryan said. "All in favor of Ryan Stormcaster."<br>Natalie and Destiny raised their hands.  
>"All in favor of Jason Stormflame." Ryan called again.<br>Jason, Chris, Esmee and Ryan all raised their hands. Then everyone turned to look at Ryan. "I think he would be a better commander then me."  
>The newly appointed commander grinned. "You're supportive, willing to put your life on the line for another," Jason said. "All in favor of Ryan Stormcaster as sergeant raise your hand."<br>Natalie, Destiny, Chris, Jason, Esmee and Ryan raised their hands.  
>"Then it's decided," Esmee announced. "Jason is the commander, and Ryan is the sergeant."<br>"Now we need the lieutenant, the third-in-command." Jason said. "Any nominations?" Jason thought for a moment, then said, "Actually, I nominate Chris Soulhunter, Descendant of Myth."  
>Destiny thought and pictured Chris as a good lieutenant.<br>Ryan raised his hand. "I have a suggestion."  
>"Who?" Jason asked.<br>"I nominate Destiny Seagem."  
>Destiny was stunned. Her? As lieutenant? "Why me?" She asked Ryan. "I'm not even a descendant!"<br>"Maybe not," Ryan admitted. "But you were the one who kicked Vladimir's butt at the duel, then Neola's in Ravenscar, even found the descendant of Ice, Esmee Lionblood."  
>"Actually, more like she found me," Destiny countered.<br>"Even so, you are very worthy," Ryan persisted.  
>*"Okay," Jason said. "All in favor of Chris Soulhunter as lieutenant, raise your hand."<br>Only Jason and Chris did.  
>"All in favor of Destiny Seagem."<br>Destiny, Ryan, Natalie and Esmee raised their hands.  
>"Then it's decided," The commander said. "I, Jason, am the commander, Ryan the sergeant, and Destiny as the lieutenant of the order of the Spiral."<br>"But Jason," Natalie asked. "Where do we go next?"  
>"I don't know," He admitted. "Maybe we should take up Esmee's suggestion, Go back to Wizard City, get caught up in our studies and become of higher rank. Take a break from Vladimir and Neela and whatever thorns remain."<br>Jason then fitted the key into the spiral door lock, twisted it, and then opened the door, revealing a portal to the Wizard City spiral chamber. One by one, the Order of the Spiral stepped through, and Destiny, the newly appointed lieutenant, quickly joined them.


	5. Part 5 Bones of the Enemy

**A/N: Wow, thanks for the reviews! A lot more than I was expecting, especially for one of my stories, haha. Thanks to fanficreader137, TwilightWakerofTime (when I saw that the reviews had jumped to 3 to 6 in one day I was like, "WOAH!"), and Alexandra Storm (I follow your blog! :D) **

**Anyways, thanks a lot for the support! Here's Part 5!**

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><p>The Necromancer's Matter, Part 5; Bones of the Enemy<p>

Destiny, now halfway through her journeyman lessons, lay down on the beach of her sunny cottage as she recalled the events that had taken action about a month ago.  
>She was the lieutenant of the Order of the Spiral, along with Jason Stormflame, Ryan Stormcaster, Natalie Goldenflame, Chris Soulhunter and her own cousin, Esmee Lionblood. Formerly of the group was Neela Waterpetal.<br>Destiny winced when she thought of Neela. Don't even THINK about her!  
>Then a voice came up. <em>You're thinking about Neela, huh?<em>  
>Destiny turned her head to the right to see Nikki, an exiled sprite that now lived with her. She nodded.<br>Neela had acted as a friend to everyone, then turned and backstabbed them. Then she recalled something Neela had said, about Death Bandits, a group of necromancers that committed crime in Krokotopia. Neela had then sent out a Krokotopian patrolman and framed Destiny for being one. That's when she realized that she forgotten that she had a little tiny jug of gold that she had stolen from the patrol krok when it had been knocked out from a huge sandstorm, later soothed by Balance himself.  
>Destiny pulled out the jug of gold. It was tiny, a sphere of little shredded gold pieces, only about five centimeters wide and tall. There was a black cap at the top in the shape of a cylinder. Destiny turned it around a few times, carefully observing it. She then saw a fingerprint on the jar. She recognized it immediately.<br>The gold belonged to Neela.  
>If it was Neela's, it would most likely be important to them. The gold might be able to be used as a bargaining tool. Destiny then stuffed the gold back in her pouch and resumed to what she had been thinking about before. The Death Bandits. She was certain one of them was Vladimir Thorn, a kniving master necromancer. And, now that Neela had revealed to be a traitor, Destiny was convinced that she was the girl Death Bandit. But Neela had mentioned THREE Death Bandits.<br>There was someone else.  
>Vladimir, Neela, and who else? Neela mentioned it being a male.<br>But she had to warn the Order of the Spiral! Ryan was in his adept studies, but Jason's wouldn't start for another few minutes. Destiny got Nikki, and teleported to Jason.  
>"Jason! Jason!" Destiny shouted as she spotted the pyromancer in his red master robes. Jason turned around. "What is it?" He asked.<br>Destiny leaned forward to Jason, cautious of the people surrounding. "There's another thorn," She whispered. "It's not just Vladimir and Neela. There's another person with them, we just haven't encountered him."  
>Jason eyed Destiny, a suspicious look on his face. "How do you know this?" He asked.<br>"Well, do you remember how I was blamed for being a Death Bandit?" Jason nodded. "Well, Neela mentioned two boys and a girl. Vladimir, Neela, and someone else."  
>Suddenly, Jason had a bright look on his face. "Oh yeah! That reminds me, remember the day we first met? When you pushed Vladimir? I found out where he teleported to! He constantly teleported to <em>his<em> base!"  
>"Which is where?" Destiny asked.<br>"Marleybone," Jason breathed. "Don't you see? We need to gather the Order of the Spiral and infiltrate his base!"

Destiny came out third after Jason, then Ryan. She looked around, seeing a cathedral-looking place. So this was Marleybone.  
>The six walked in a single-file line out of the chamber and looked around the blackish world. No wonder the Thorns created their base here.<br>She observed Marleybone closely. It was more of a civilized world then any other of the worlds, even Wizard City. More civilized, but infested with dogs. Dogs everywhere! And standing on their hind legs, too! She knew that this would come, but as of seeing it for the first time, it seemed downright paranormal.  
>Suddenly they were all taken aback by a sudden swarm of dogs, which really sent a shiver down Destiny's spine. But not Natalie. Natalie rushed up to them. "What's going on?" She asked.<br>A brown male dog stopped. "Why, the richest miser in Marleybone's son has just completed his Ravenwood School of Magical Arts studies entirely! And he's so good at it, that Dragonspyre Academy is considering taking him in for advanced necromancy!" He head swiveled, and Destiny joined him, to see a huge carriage pulling up to a mansion. "Oh, I think that's him and his friends!" The dog joined the crowd, eager to take a look at this rich kid.  
>Destiny arrived just in time to see that the carriage had stopped and a butler-looking person (Destiny was soooooooo relieved that is was a human, not a dog!), came up to open it. The first to come out was a teenage boy in grandmaster clothes and a black bandit cap on top of his head, shrouding his shoulder-length black hair and complementing his pale skin. His very presence put Destiny in rage.<br>Vladimir Thorn.  
>Natalie gaped. "He's a <em>grandmaster<em> now?"  
>Ryan sighed. "Had to happen sooner of later," He grimaced.<br>Nikki nudged Destiny. _Hey, isn't he that buffoon whose butt we kicked back in Ravenscar a month or two ago? _Destiny nodded.  
>Vladimir stopped and turned around, expecting the next person. The next one was a girl in her early teens with long black hair tightened up into a ponytail. She wore a black Marleybonian dress with red trimming and also wore a black and red bandit cap. The sight of her enraged Destiny too.<br>Neela Waterpetal.  
>The butler offered her a hand as she came down, but Neela took it as a personal offense and slapped him. "Filthy traitor," She heard Jason mutter.<br>The last person who came out was unfamiliar to Destiny. He was a boy with short aqua hair and a bandit hat like Neela and Vladimir. He had pale skin and wore a robe with symbols of the storm school stitched, yet showing necromancy by the rest being black. Unlike the other two, who carried their swords, he held a clockwork staff with blue crystals embedded. When he joined Vladimir and Neela, she noticed he was shorter then them. Because of this, he looked to be ten or eleven, not much younger then Destiny, who was on the brink of the age of twelve.  
>Vladimir, Neela, and the other blue-haired boy all ascended a grand marble staircase leading to the doors of the black mansion. Thorns outlined the doors and windows, appearing to be used for security. But Destiny knew the truth. It wasn't an alarm. It was their insignia. Destiny spotted something on the silver doors, a black coat of arms with a red 'V' in the middle. Again, thorns outlined the coat of arms and the sections, the thorns painted the same bloodred as the 'V'. Destiny was impressed with the mansion. In Wizard City they were students, a gang of bandits in Krokotopia, and now celebrities in Marleybone. What would be next?<br>Destiny nudged the dog. "Mr. uh, dog, sir, but just who is the richest miser in Marleybone?" She asked politely, but anxious.  
>"Why, the great Vladimir Thorn Sr.," The dog advised. "That over there, the one in the lead is Vladimir Thorn Jr., and those are his friends Neela Woodpetal, I think?"<br>"Waterpetal," Jason grimaced.  
>"Right," The dog went back on track. "As I was saying, that is his son Vladimir Thorn Jr., Neela Waterpetal, and, according to the news, he just befriended a magus necromancer called Cody Shadowstrider."<br>Destiny assumed right on the bat that Cody Shadowstrider was the blue-haired guy. She needed to tell that to Nikki. That's when she noticed Nikki was gone.  
>Right when Destiny noticed she was gone, Nikki fluttered back. Quick! She warned. <em>To the cottage! Now!<em>  
>Destiny kneeled to Nikki. "What is it?"<br>_Just come! Now!_  
>She nudged Jason. "I need to get back to the cottage. I'm getting hungry, and I need to write all these interesting facts down."<br>Jason nodded his approval. "We'll be right here if you need us."  
>Destiny ran to the spiral door. She wondered what Nikki could have meant.<br>Destiny fumbled with the lock in the spiral door, and quickly took the portal to her cottage. She really was hoping that Nikki was just toying with her imagination and nothing at all was urgent.  
>When Destiny stepped through, Nikki came after her quickly and fluttered to the cottage, although the yard and gazebo and beach appeared to be just fine. Nikki flew past Destiny at an alarmingly fast pace and turned around. <em>Hurry!<em> She called. Taking Nikki's advice, Destiny ran as hard as she could, and entered the cottage. She could not believe her eyes.  
>Because Neela Waterpetal was looking around, apparently looking for something.<p>

Because Neela Waterpetal was looking around, apparently looking for something. How did Neela know? Destiny quickly hid behind her collective wraith statue, watching her every move. Destiny then organized a plan. She bent down to Nikki. "Nikki," She whispered. "Get Jason, now. Tell him and the Order of the Spiral to come over here now! Also, tell one of them to buy a jail cell."  
><em>Why a jail cell?<em> Nikki asked, doing the same thing as Destiny, keeping her voice low.  
>"Just tell them to buy a jail cell and to get over here as quickly as possible! Now!" Destiny said.<br>_What about you?_  
>"I'll be fine! I have a plan, so don't worry. Just get the Order of the Spiral, tell them to buy a jail cell, and get back over here as fast as possible!"<br>Nikki nodded. She looked around, and when Neela's back was turned, she quickly fluttered over to the door and exited. Now it was up to Destiny. She readied her spells and and headed out. "HEY!" She shouted. Neela turned around and fled through the door. Destiny followed Neela and casted a vampire at her. As the vampire raked her, Neela grinned. "Well well," She grinned smugly. "I see you have improvised."  
>"That's right, you idiot," Destiny shot back. "You? Oh, wait, that's right, you're too lazy to improve because you and Vladimir think you're so great!"<br>"Watch it there, Seagem," Neela warned calmly.  
>Destiny laughed. "Really? I thought you were the insulting, kniving, and betraying one, Waterpetal!" Destiny hissed as she cast a sunbird.<br>Neela blocked with a skeletal pirate. As she was busying herself watching the pirate fight the sunbird, she was taken aback by a phoenix. Quickly, Neela turned around to see Jason. "YOU!" He shouted as the phoenix swooped to take care of Neela, carrying her high in the sky.  
>"You got the cell?" Destiny asked.<br>"Yeah, why?"  
>"Give it to me!"<br>"Give as in usage, or give as in own?"  
>"OWN! NOW HURRY!"<br>Jason gave her the cell and Destiny set it up, opening the doors. "Command the phoenix to come in here!" She said.  
>Jason whistled for the phoenix. Instantly, it swooped down, with Neela clinging for her life. The phoenix entered the cell and dumped Neela in, then quickly retreated as Destiny shut the door and locked it, trapping Neela inside. "Hey!" She shouted. "I can get you in federal trouble for this!"<br>"Huh, that's funny," Destiny said. "I don't recall Vladimir considering the law when he tried to kill me, once in a duel and again in Ravenscar." She walked up to Neela. "Now tell us," Destiny interrogated. "You wouldn't be here for nothing! Why are you here?"  
>"That's none of your business!" Neela hissed.<br>"Considering that you break in my home, I think it is perfectly my business," Destiny said.  
>"Well, too bad!" Neela said.<br>Destiny sighed. "We've got no use for her," She said as she turned to Jason. "She's too hard to interrogate."  
>"Ah," Jason said. "That may be true, but I've got another use for her in mind,"<br>"What is it?" Destiny asked.  
>Jason gestured for her to come. "I'll leave Chris here to guard Neela."<p>

Walking out of the Marleybonian clothes shop, Destiny felt stiff. How could Neela wear this all the time?  
>Instead of her comfortable Initiates Uniform, Frost touched cap and onyx studded boots, Destiny was now clad in a carnival dress and bandit hat, like Neela.<br>"So, let me get this straight," Destiny said to Jason. "You want me to dress as Neela, go to Thorn Manor, and pretend to be Neela?" She shook her head. "Jason, Vladimir's not stupid, and you know it. He'll recognize me in an instant."  
>"He won't recognize you," Jason persisted. "You're special that way."<br>"Special at what?" Destiny asked. "Look, Jason, I'm not special. I'm not a Descendant or Legendary or anyone meant to do something great. I'm just- Destiny."  
>"Well then, Just Destiny is going to do great," Jason soothed. "Relax. Vladimir may be smart, but not as much as he is when overconfident. From what I've seen, hearing from a fake Neela that the raid had been successful AND him have completed his studies, he's going to be overconfident."<br>Destiny nodded. It made sense. Jason handed her a stone and a little silver stick. "Here, take this," He said.  
>"What does it do?" Destiny questioned. She looked at the stone.<br>"It allows us to communicate," Jason replied. "Here, watch," Destiny watched as Jason took the silver stick and wrote on the stone. Instantly Destiny's stone temperature increased and became very hot. She took it out and she saw scrawled on the stone, in Jason's handwriting, _Hi!_  
>Destiny smiled. She thought of something. Quickly, she scrawled, <em>Who'll watch Nikki while I'm gone?<em>  
>Jason read the message, scrawled something, then her stone vibrated. She looked at it then read, <em>We all will. Sure, the rest of the Order of the Spiral doesn't understand her, but we can figure something out.<em>  
>Destiny looked up. "Thanks," Destiny said. She then heard the sound of wheels. Jason did too.<br>Jason turned his head. Destiny followed him, and saw a coach coming up. "I think that's Neela's private coach," Jason said. He patted Destiny on the back. "Good luck," He said.  
>Destiny inhaled, and exhaled. She could do this. This would be successful. It would be hugely beneficial to the Order of the Spiral. She walked up to the coach and the door was opened for her. Destiny pulled up the skirt of the stuffy dress and walked to steps into the black coach. She sat down on a built in couch with black leather. "Thorn Manor," She requested.<br>The dog driver nodded. "As you wish," He said. Destiny gave a shiver. Would she ever be used to talking dogs?  
>The coach bumped a few times from the gravel paved into the streets. Finally after what seemed like an hour, the coach finally pulled to a stop at Thorn Manor. As expected, coming down the steps was Vladimir. Destiny hoped she could disguise her voice. As she stepped out of the coach, Vladimir smiled. The driver spoke before she could step out. "By the way," He said. "Your guests are coming," Destiny nodded and, hoping to sound like an evil mastermind, she replied, "Excellent,"<br>As the coach drove away into the city, Vladimir greeted, "How was the raid, my Waterpetal?" He asked.  
>Jason was right, Destiny thought. He is dumb when he's overconfident. She smiled and said, "No one discovered me, but I didn't get what we were looking for. Apparently they have either hid it or its on themselves."<br>Vladimir shrugged. "Oh well," He said. "No matter, we'll get it another time."  
>Then Destiny remembered the coach dog's message. "Our guests are arriving shortly," She said.<br>"Great," Vladimir said. "We've got ourself another one,"  
>Destiny didn't know what the another one referred too, but she would find out in due time. She followed Vladimir to a room guarded by ten-foot-tall black doors, a foot thick. Suddenly Destiny understood why those doors were so hard to open.<br>The doors opened a grand throne room, with a red aisle flowing to a set of thrones, the one on the middle was the biggest and had to climb a few steps. The one to its right was the second highest, and had to climb a few steps to reach that too. The throne to the middle's left was the shortest. Vladimir climbed to the middle throne, and sat, crossing his right leg on his left knee. Destiny followed him as Vladimir gestured to the throne on the right. Must be where Neela plotted. Destiny took notice that the blue-haired boy wasn't there. As Destiny sat, Vladimir asked, "Are you sure no one caught you?"  
>Tiny balls of sweat dripped down Destiny's forehead underneath the bandit cap. "No one," She said, hoping her voice was steady.<br>Vladimir looked away set his left fist balled up under his chin, pondering. "I don't know," Vladimir finally said. "One member of that group is quite resourceful."  
>"Who?" Destiny questioned.<br>"Destiny," Vladimir said, and for a minute Destiny was afraid that Vladimir had suddenly caught her. She relaxed when she heard him say, "Destiny's the one. She is very formidable. She won't give up easily, and holds her ground. She is very aggressive, clever, brave, she fights valiantly for her cause, and competitive. Qualities I admire. Qualities of a true Thorn."  
>Vladimir's last remark scared her. Destiny laughed, trying to intimidate Neela. "She is but an initiate, a journeyman, maybe." She said, putting in that she was an initiate to support evidence she was Neela.<br>"Maybe of low rank," Vladimir admitted. "But I can sense she is getting stronger by the second, not just in rank, but in spirit." He turned to Destiny. "And what's odd," He continued. "Is that I feel a sort of-connection- to her."  
>"Connection?" Destiny questioned. Things were getting interesting.<br>"A connection," Vladimir confirmed. "And not just and rivalry and all that war stuff. I feel in in my mind, I feel a connection flowing through my veins. Like, its as if we were connected by blood. I highly doubt its that way, but I just have this unusual feeling nagging through me about her. Something about her, I just can't quite put my finger on it." Vladimir was cut off by the thick doors opening again, letting the blue-haired boy enter down the asile.  
>Vladimir smiled. "Cody," He greeted. "Cody Shadowstrider, Descendant of both Valkoor Thorn and the legendary wizard Death."<br>Destiny breathed, trying not to show her shock. Vladimir and Neela had found the Descendant of Death? Oh, no, a Double Descendant! Note to self, She thought. Make it a mission to revert this Cody Shadowstrider to our side.  
>Before sitting on his throne, Cody pulled out a sleek, smooth, black onyx and presented it to Vladimir. Vladimir eagerly accepted it and stood up, holding the onyx in triumph. "Behold," He announced. "The Onyx of Darkness! First the Helm of Power, now the Onyx, all we need now is the blade," He sat back down clutching the onyx, grinning evilly.<br>Destiny peered at Vladimir quickly as Cody sat down on his seat. She pulled back quickly. It doesn't really seem like he needs the Descendants, She thought. So, if he's not after the Descendants, what could he be after? He mentioned a blade.  
>Her thoughts were cut off by the doors opening again, and a butler emerging. "Your guests are here," He said.<p>

Her thoughts were cut off by the doors opening again, and a butler emerging. "Your guests are here," He said. He pulled back to make way for two girls in green. One had hair covered by a hood with an eagle's beak poking out. She was in grizzleheim attir. She looked to be in late adeptdom. She had green eyes and her hair was covered. Next to her was a girl that had long auburn hair complemented by a crown of branches. She wore green and brown Mooshu-ian robes, and her eyes were a mix of brown and green. She looked to be a magus.  
>"Vladimir Thorn," The magus said, and nodded her head towards him. "What a good surprise."<br>"What might your names be?" Vladimir inquired.  
>The magus hesitated, as if needing to rethink. "Lindsay," She decided. "Lindsay the theurgist. And the adept next to me is Alexis, Alexis Lifestone."<br>"Pleased to meet you," Vladimir said, getting up from his seat and walking up to greet them. He shook hands with Lindsay, then Alexis. "Over here are Neela Waterpetal and Cody Shadowstrider." He made a gesture, and Cody walked over. Destiny did the same. Cody shook hands and Destiny followed.  
>"We'll have dinner in a half hour," Vladimir said. "For now, I welcome you to your guestrooms."<br>Lindsay nodded, and she and Alexis departed. Alexis whispered something to Lindsay, and Destiny leaned over to hear.  
>"I don't have a good feeling, Lindsay," Alexis said in a high-pitched voice. "This Vladimir guy just seems... evil."<br>"I think its just because he's a necromancer," Lindsay said.  
>"I hope you're right," Alexis said.<br>Destiny needed to tell them. She could sense a strong aura on Alexis, and a stronger one on Lindsay. Then she gasped in realization:  
>What business would Vladimir have with theurgists unless...<br>Unless one of them was the Descendant of Life!  
>She had to warn them!<p>

Quickly she rushed to Lindsay's chamber, and entered. Lindsay looked over at her, surprised. "Neela," She said. "What now?"  
>Destiny rushed over to Lindsay. "You and Alexis, you both need to get out of here!" She said urgently.<br>Lindsay nodded. "I realize that, Destiny."  
>Destiny gasped, searching for words. Then she realized who they were. "Alexis is the Descendant," She breathed. "Your Descendant."<br>Lindsay nodded. "Even more clever then Fire told me."  
>Destiny blushed.<br>Life looked around. "Quick, I can just teleport away, but you're going to have to escape the manor with Alexis."  
>"Wait," Destiny said. "Do you know what the Onyx of Darkness might be, by any chance?"<br>Life nodded again. "The Onyx of Darkness is a deadly stone. I'm familiar with it because Death created it. He poured a lot of magic in it."  
>"But what does it do?" Destiny inquired.<br>"It can bring someone back from the dead," Life said.  
>"Whoa... Really?" Vladimir... With the power to revive the dead... That was just plain scary.<br>But why? Why would Vladimir need it? And if he intended on using it, who was he going to call?  
>At least that settles things a little bit, Destiny thought. "But what about the Helm of Power?"<br>Life paled. "Why must you know about that?" She asked.  
>"I just need to," Destiny said.<br>"Vladimir has it, huh?" Life guessed.  
>Destiny nodded.<br>Life sighed. "The Helm of Power is Valkoor Thorn's helmet," She said. "Like the Onyx of Darkness, he poured his soul, his strength, and his cunning into that headpiece. Anyone who wears it will therefore destroy themselves. Are you telling me he has both?"  
>"It's exactly what I'm saying," Destiny confirmed.<br>"Helm of Power... Onyx of Darkness... Descended from Valkoor Thorn... This is no game, Destiny Seagem. Vladimir Thorn has just grown immensely in power, almost powerful enough to meet Legendary status."  
>"Also, Vladimir mentioned something about a blade," She said. "Any idea of that?"<br>Life shook her head. "I don't, but I have a feeling I'll find out very soon." She looked around. "Before Vladimir suspects anything, I need to go. I hope you and Alexis will make it out safely." Then a green light her height came up, like it had done with Fire and Storm and Ice. She waved goodbye as the light engulfed her, then she disappeared.  
>Right when she left to her time, Destiny's stone vibrated. She pulled it out, and read the message, <em>Hurry! You need to get out of there QUICK!<em>  
>Destiny scrawled, <em>Why?<em>  
><em>Neela escaped!<em> Jason wrote. _She distracted Chris, grabbed the key, and escaped! She's already in Marleybone! Hurry!_  
>Destiny's eyes bugged and her mouth in shock. Things had just gotten a lot harder. Trying to stay calm and not show how panicked she was, she wrote back, <em>I have news, too, the Descendant of Life is here. Her name is Alexis Lifestone.<em>  
><em>Great!<em> Jason said. _Now grab the Descendant of Life and get your butts out of there!_  
><em>Clear,<em> The lieutenant wrote. Destiny put the stone back in her pocket and ran to Alexis.

Destiny barged in Alexis's room and slammed the door. Destiny grabbed Alexis. "What are you doing?" Alexis asked, in a panic.  
>Destiny let go and turned to her. "My name is not Neela Waterpetal," She said. "I'm Destiny Seagem, Lieutenant of the Order of the Spiral. You're right, Vladimir is a bad person. I came here to originally spy on him, and now I need to get out of here, and you need to come with me," Destiny said.<br>"But like I said, N-Destiny," Alexis said. "What is going on?"  
>"I'll explain everything later," Destiny soothed. "But right now, we need to get you out of here."<br>"What about Lindsay?" Alexis asked. "She's my best friend!"  
>"Lindsay's already out," Destiny said. "Come on, we need to go! We're burning daylight!"<br>Alexis nodded and followed Destiny out the door. "Now, just act natural," Destiny instructed. "I don't think they know that I'm a spy yet." Then, all of a sudden, a skeletal pirate came out and charged at the duo. "WHOA!" Alexis screamed. "WHAT WAS THAT?"  
>"More likely," Destiny said as she knocked down the pirate with her feet. The skeleton struggled. "WHO was that?"<br>Destiny and Alexis looked around, but couldn't find anyone. Then Alexis nudged Destiny. "I think I saw some aqua over there," She said, pointing north.  
>Cody! Destiny realized. He overheard everything! "Cody!" She yelled. "I know you're here! Please, join us, in our cause. Do you want terror on the spiral?" She asked.<br>But no reply came. Then, all of a sudden, dog guards came. "Imposter!" One of them yelled as he charged.  
>Destiny threw a sunbird at them while Alexis cast a seraph. Stunned by the spells, the guards forfitted time for Destiny and Alexis to run. They ran in ends and corners, veraciously searching for the exit. Destiny didn't know how long they had been running already, but she didn't care. To her, it felt like an hour and, with Destiny being a lousy runner, her legs felt as if they were on fire. She felt like she'd collapse abd be caught any second now, and the fact that all that they got out of it was running into dead ends and had even more guards running after them was no help. She also knew that time was running out, and quickly. And Alexis's comment only added to the intense pressure.<br>"This is scary!" Alexis practically screamed, her face looking as if a bucket of fright had just spilled all over her. She looked to be doing worse than Destiny, and her breaths seemed to be wheezes, almost.  
>Destiny sighed. "Trust me, it'll get scarier," She said as they turned a corner.<br>The corner they turned into had Vladimir waiting. Not in the formal Marleybonan gear, but jet-black colored Valkyrie armor. "Cody has reported to me," He said. "Thanks for revealing that you're a spy and Alexis is the Descendant of Life,"  
>"Descendant of WHAT?" Alexis screamed. Vladimir took the advantage and casted a scarecrow, draining a lot of strength from Alexis and Destiny. Alexis's hood fell off to reveal green hair in a ponytail. Once again, Vladimir took the advantage and grabbed Alexis by the arm, sword at her throat.<br>"One wrong move," Vladimir warned. "and she'll die. In fact, I don't need her, she was simply a pawn all along to get what I needed." Then he laughed. "In fact, you may not even be players! Because you don't understand- we're the good guys."  
>"But why wouldn't you?" Destiny questioned. "You need as many as you can for your side."<br>"True, true," Vladimir reasoned. "It would be useful to convert them, but they aren't needed. In fact," He held the sword closer, and Destiny thought she saw a drop of blood fall as Alexis hollered in pain. "May as well get rid if this one."  
>But as he said that, Alexis head-butted him and wrenched free. While Alexis struggled, Destiny took out her Athame to go with her runed onyx wand and rushed to help Alexis, who had Vladimir's sword in her hands while she held a hand to her bleeding shoulder. Destiny decided to relieve Alexis of the duty of fighting and wrestled with Vladimir as if they were just two starving little boys fighting over a feast.<br>"Teleport away," Destiny said to Alexis. "Now! I'll catch up with you later!"  
>Vladimir overheard and shook his head. "Sorry, teleportation off limits," He said. "Got to get out manually,"<br>Destiny nudged Alexis and they broke off into a run, away from Vladimir and right back into a face familiar to Destiny: Neela.  
>"What did I miss?" Neela asked, pretending to be confused. She turned to Destiny. "How DARE you!" She screamed. She casted the death symbol, but just before the spell came to life, Destiny and Alexis ran around her and ran away, barely in time to miss a wraith. Confused, it headed for Vladimir, and Neela struggled to prevent it and get the message across that Destiny was its target, not Vladimir.<br>Destiny and Alexis finally saw the exit. "YES!" Destiny said as she and Alexis ran out of the manor. They ran some more out of the boundaries, and, when they were positive it was safe, clutching Alexis's hand, Destiny had Jason in mind and teleported to him, with the sound of guards chasing after them.

Destiny and Alexis appeared at her house, with Jason, Ryan, and the rest of the Order of the Spiral there. "Whew," Natalie breathed. "We thought that you would be captured!"  
>"More like you thought Destiny was going to be taken," Esmee corrected.<br>Destiny sighed. "Actually, it was a close call," She said. "If Alexis or I hadn't ran from them at the last second, we probably would have been defeated."  
>"I take it that Alexis is the theurgist?" Ryan piped.<br>"I see," Chris said. "The Descendant of Life," Then he observed Alexis's shoulder. "I'll tend to that." He said as he approached her, getting some medical supplies and began to wrap it up in a cast. He also took advantage of that to whisper in Destiny's ear, "I'm sorry about Neela's escape. She distracted me and, well, I have a soft spot for her."  
>Destiny was in shock. Chris, having a <em>crush<em> on _Neela?_ Was she dreaming?  
>But she barely had time to register the fact. "Seriously, why is everyone here acting so strange?" Alexis said. Then, she clutched her head. "OW!" She screamed as she fell to the grass, clearly passing out.<br>Destiny ran up to her. "What happened?" She asked.  
>"We all know," Jason said. "Its what happens to us all. The Ordeal." Natalie gave a shiver.<br>"The Ordeal?" Destiny asked.  
>"It's what happens to desendants," Jason said. "Its how we find out that we're Descendants. It strengthens us all, it sharpens our wits, everything. It's also the worst, most freaky rollar coaster you'll ever ride. It takes what you fear most and throws it at you, making it your worst nightmare. Ever. Some desendants even die facing it. Deaths are rare, but its happened."<br>Destiny gave a shiver. Alexis screamed, but her eyes didn't open. She could only imagine what Alexis was going through. Everything she feared. She hoped Alexis didn't lose the fight. "Is there anything we can do?" Destiny asked, eagerly hoping to help Alexis.  
>Esmee shook her head. "You have to face it alone," She said. "I remember my Ordeal as clear as day. It was the scariest thing that happened to me. Take what happened in Ravenscar, then times that by around a billion. That's what the Ordeal is like."<br>Destiny sighed. "How long will it take?" She asked.  
>Ryan shrugged. "It depends. Sometimes it takes an hour, sometimes a day, one time it took a full week," He said. Destiny could tell he was remembering his Ordeal, and he shivered. Then he manned up. "All we can do is hope that Alexis will have the strength to pass."<p>

Destiny changed from her Marleybone attir back into her Frost-touched cap, her initiates uniform, and her onyx studded boots. It was like wearing silk to the Marleybone garb.  
>Nightime arose, and Alexis was still going through her Ordeal when they all needed sleep. Destiny tried to keep her eyes open, hoping that her presence would give Alexis some comfort, but she found out that she couldn't keep her eyes open.<br>Until she recounted Vladimir's words:  
><em>"We're the good guys."<em>  
>That was enough to now have her bloodshot awake.<br>But was it true? Was Destiny fighting for the right side? Or was she leading the spiral to it's doom? Perhaps Vladimir was confused, a lot if villains had a tendancy to believe that they were going towards the light. He was just confused.  
>But when was Vladimir known to be confused?<br>Destiny surprised herself by shutting down.  
><em>"We're the good guys."<em>

In Marleybone, the same words rang through Vladimir's head.  
><em>"We're the good guys."<em>  
>Now Vladimir shot up in his bed, sweat beading his forehead. As if in a trance, he switched on a light.<br>Then his eyes darted to a dark blue square picture frame, nesting on his dresser.  
>And in that frame was the face of a ten-year-old girl, with bright blue eyes and long, dark black hair, complementing her light skin.<br>Slowly, Vladimir walked to the frame and picked it up. Blue had been his favorite color before he had been placed in Death.  
>And before he knew it, he was cradling the frame, a tear escaping his eye.<br>All of a sudden Neela walked in. She placed a comforting hand on Vladimir's shoulder. "You're thinking of her," She said. It wasn't a question, it was a fact.  
>Vladimir solemnly nodded, pitting the picture of the girl back on his nightstand.<br>"We can do it now," Neela said. "We have the Onyx. Maybe we don't need to go forward with our plan."  
>Vladimir shook his head. "It would have to be done by her resting place," He said. "And we don't know where she's buried, maybe not even dead. And if she is," Vladimir once again looked longingly at the girl. "Only a true Master of Death will be able to bring her back. But-" He turned around to face Neela's eyes, swarmed with a now compassionate amber, "what if... We're in the wrong? Maybe I had actually intended Alexis's death without realizing it, even if I wouldn't actually take a life, I'm not strong like my ancestor? What if the Order's words are true, what if defying death is only going to wreck havoc on the Spiral?"<br>He didn't have to even finish the sentence to send Neela hissing, "That's not true! You've been on this for about three years, ever since your Ordeal when you were thirteen, you've been constructing this and perfecting every last detail of the plan, and you want to know why you're doing this? It's because you're doing this in the name of her!" She pointed to the picture.  
>There was a long silence. Then Vladimir gave in and said, "You're right. In her name I vow to succeed."<br>Neela nodded her approval, wished Vladimir a good night, and left the room, not bothering to shut the door.  
>Vladimir hoped Neela didn't notice that, as he stared at the picture and shut his eyes tight, heavy streams of tears as he tried to fight back memories, memories of her.<br>And they were blocked out by his own quote.  
><em>"We're the good guys."<em>  
>In her memory, they had to be. They had to.<p>

That night, Destiny dreamed.  
><em>She was alone in a natural and scenic area, with light green grass coating the light tan dirt. Chocolate-brown buildings seemed to be outlined around the area.<br>Mooshu. Life's Reign. The Valley of Peace.  
>However, everything was blurry, the setting, the goats and pig warriors walking around. Destiny looked around, trying to get a clear image of something or someone.<br>She did.  
>The only person so far who wasn't blurry was a girl with long jet-black hair, pale skin, and blue eyes in black and red Mooshu robes. Destiny could tell she was a necromancer, but from the way she acted, a bit friendly. Then she found one more person who wasn't blurry.<br>The other person was a cross between a teenager, a 50-year-old man, and a grim reaper. He was as tall as a teenager, and had salt-and-pepper hair standing on end. She couldn't tell what color his eyes were. He had a black shirt and pants on, with a black hooded cloak, and black boots. All he needed was the ax. She had never layer eyes on him before, yet Destiny knew who he was. The reaping, cunning, most "Silent but Deadly" Legendary.  
>Death.<br>The hooded man nudged towards the girl, and said something, but Destiny couldn't hear. She looked at him and cupped her hands over her left ear. Death nodded and repeated. Destiny still couldn't hear, but she could read his mouth, and could make out one word:  
>Jessica.<em>  
>Destiny awoke, to find Alexis coming back from her Ordeal. "You now don't have to explain anything, I now know."<br>Destiny nodded. "What was it like?" She asked. "You know, the Ordeal?"  
>Alexis breathed a few times before saying, "It was scary, you can say that."<br>"What did you have to go through?" Destiny asked.  
>"One of the rules of the Ordeal is that if you survive, all you can say is how freaky it was. The rest, like what you experience, is forbidden to be told."<br>Destiny noticed that sunlight was creeping its way out of the window and into the house. Alexis's eyes flew over there. "Is it still daytime?" She asked. Destiny shook her head. "Here, let's get you up," Destiny stood and offered Alexis a hand. Gladly, Alexis took it, and struggled to stand at first, but then her balance increased and increased until she could stand just fine. Destiny let go of her hand. "Here, I need to talk to Jason." She turned to go away, but stopped and turned back to Alexis and said, "By the way, welcome to the Order of the Spiral." Destiny offered to shake Alexis's hand. She took it, then Destiny said, "Come, we need to gather all the members of the Order of the Spiral. It's urgent." Alexis nodded and set off.  
>Destiny came back outside with Ryan, Esmee and Jason. Alexis came with Chris and Natalie. Destiny cleared her throat and said, "When I spied on Vladimir, I found out a lot. One of them was that Cody, the blue-haired boy we saw when we first arrived in Marleybone, was not only a Descendant of Valkoor, but a Descendant of Death himself."<br>"Oh, no!" Jason moaned. "If we hope to succeed, we need Cody!"  
>"Don't worry," Destiny soothed. "Remember when I had that prophetic dream of Esmee being the Descendant of Ice? Well, I just had another, only this time-"<br>"Wait," Jason said. "You get prophetic dreams? I'm the Descendant of Fire, Fire was a seer, I should be getting dreams. So why are you instead of me?"  
>Destiny shrugged. "I don't know." She admitted. "So far, I haven't gotten a dream on why I get dreams instead of you," For Natalie, this cracked a joke.<br>"Anyways," Destiny proceeded. "Like the dream I had of Esmee, I had a dream of someone, who could be, another Descendant of Death. She lies in Mooshu."


	6. Part 6 Valley of Peace

**A/N: Hey, thanks for the comments! Sorry that I haven't been getting this up, I've been busy. **

**Anyways, I would say more, but I'm kind of running out of time. So enjoy!**

* * *

><p>The Necromancer's Matter, Part 6; Valley of Peace<p>

Destiny sighed. "Seriously, do I HAVE to wear these Mooshu robes?" She asked Jason as they entered the land with light green grass and huge orchid trees shading it and the dark brown wooden buildings. Mooshu.  
>Jason nodded. "It would be best," He said. "Cows are very critical on looks."<br>Destiny sighed again. "Well, at least I can wear my frost-touched cap and onyx studded boots."  
>Jason had explained earlier that they sort of had a tiny grudge against Death wizards, so they thought it'd be best if they bought a Mooshu robe in aqua and light green, maybe they'd be let off easy. The only ones that didn't have to buy new clothes were Esmee and Alexis. In fact, they didn't want Alexis to get new clothes because Jason and Ryan were afraid that putting new stuff on could maybe affect her shoulder blade, which was still recovering from Vladimir's gash. Destiny could vaguely make out the linen bandages that they had wrapped it in.<br>So here she was now, wearing a black and red Frost Touched Cap, an aqua and light green Peasents Robe, and black Onyx Studded Boots. She looked really weird. Natalie didn't seem much better. But the Order wasn't here for looks.  
>"Just be glad you aren't in Marleybonian clothes anymore," Jason pointed out. "You HATED that,"<br>Destiny shuddered. Jason's words played a recap in her mind of Marleybone: Vladimir, His speech about the connection to Destiny, The legendary wizard Life, Thorn Manor, the sound of the knife sliding into Alexis's shoulder, Cody's blue hair, Alexis's Ordeal, the sweat that had poured down on her forehead as she and Alexis tried to escape the Manor.  
>Vladimir had reverted Cody Shadowstrider, a Descendant of Death, on his side. But Destiny had recieved a dream that could mean another desendant of Death right here in Mooshu.<br>_Jessica._  
>The name now seared through her brain. She remembered the dream, the guy in the hooded cloak, the brown-haired and blue-eyed girl in black and red Mooshu robes. They had to look for the girl. After that, they had to go and try to search for a Descendant of Balance. It was best if they were quick about it.<br>_Jessica._  
>The name of the girl. It had to be.<br>Once the rest of the Order of the Spiral came through, Jason cleared his throat. "Okay, we're going to do what we did in Grizzlehiem, if any of you remember that," Natalie, Destiny, Ryan and Chris nodded. "We're going to take areas and search. Alexis, you'll search in Hametsu Village. Esmee, you'll look in the Village of Sorrow. Natalie, to the Tatakai Outpost. Chris, go to The Tree of Life. Ryan, go to the Cave of Solitude. Destiny, you'll remain here at the Jade Palace. I'll cover the Field of Crimson. They aren't all the areas in Mooshu, not even near, but its a start. Again, move out!"  
>The Order of the Spiral parted seperate directions, leaving Destiny in the dust. This is a really good task for a luitenant, Destiny grumbled in her mind. They just wanted to leave her behind. Of course, because she was the necromancer.<br>Destiny sighed. There was no chance that this Jessica person could be in the commons. She decided to go for a walk instead throughout the Jade Palace instead, smelling the fresh air smelling of orchids, pansies, lilies, any other kind of flower, all coming to make a fresh, beautiful aroma. Like all of Mooshu was.  
><em>Maybe I should look in the shops,<em> Destiny mused as she passed two monks talking. _See what kind of gear I can get when I become of higher rank._  
>Instead, Destiny changed course and began walking to the pets shop. Exploring gear didn't sound nearly as cool then taking a look at all the pets they had. <em>I bet they have cool pets there,<em> Destiny thought.  
>She entered and looked around. Destiny spotted the variety of pets, and was attracted to the ninja pig right away like a magnet. It was just so cute with it's fat, jiggling belly and the way it thought it was so threatening! Awed, she rose up to the shopkeeper and asked, "How much are the ninja pigs?"<br>The shopkeeper gave her the price.  
>Destiny looked through her gold. Not even near enough. She sighed.*That cute little thing would have to come around another time...<br>_Why're you looking at the ninja pigs?_ Nikki asked, startling Destiny. She had forgotten Niko was by her side. _You've got me._  
>"I think I can help," Someone suggested abd unkowingly interrupted Nikki.<br>"Thanks," Destiny said.  
><em>Really? This is insane!<em>  
>The girl looked in her pouch. "Shoot, not enough," She said.<br>Destiny was so obsessed in the pet thing that at first she didn't realize just who the girl was. She had long black hair, blue eyes, light skin, and wore red and black Mooshu robes.  
>It was Jessica, Descendant of Death.<p>

Destiny breathed hard. She was here, Jason assigned me the right place.  
>"Um, are you okay?" Jessica asked.<br>Destiny shook her head rapidly, as if shaking off her momentarily being far off. "Yeah, don't worry," She said.  
>Jessica smiled. "I'm Jessica," She said, showing a hand.<br>I think I know that, Destiny thought. But aloud she said. "Pleased to meet you. Destiny Seagem," She said, taking it.  
>Destiny looked in her pouch, hoping the communication stone was still there. Luckly, it was. Eagerly, she took the stone and silver stick out and wrote, Come here quickly! I found her!<br>Destiny grabbed Jessica's hand. "Come on, there's someone I need you to meet," She said. Partially true.  
>As soon as Destiny lead Jessica outside, Jason had appeared. He studied Jessica. "Is this the one?" He asked.<br>Destiny nodded. "Jessica, meet Jason. Jason, meet Jessica." Jason and Jessica shook hands.  
>Suddenly Jessica clutched her head. Oh no, Destiny thought. Jessica screamed in pain before passing out.<br>Jason nodded. They knew why she had passed out. The Ordeal.  
>"She's the descendant of Death, alright," Jason approved. "Come on, we need to get her to someplace safe, but she can't get the idea that we've kidnapped her into her head."<br>Destiny nodded. How were they going to keep her safe and look after her without kidnapping her? "Well, we managed Alexis pretty well," She mused.  
>"Here, lets find a base in Mooshu and get everyone over." Jason said. Destiny nodded. Destiny picked Jessica up and followed Jason to the spiral chamber to hide out. Once they reached the spiral chamber, Jason told Destiny to stay there while he would gather the rest of the Order of the Spiral. An hour passed. Then two hours. It was about to reach three when Jason emerged with the rest of the Order of the Spiral. Jessica still hadn't woken from her Ordeal.<br>Alexis looked at Jessica in what seemed amazement. "Are you sure this is the descendant of Death?" She asked. "She doesn't really look that, well, you know, Death-like, except for her clothes."  
>Destiny nodded. "Why else would she appear in a dream?" She questioned.<br>Alexis threw her hands in the air. "Hey, I was just suggesting," She said.  
>Natalie ran to Destiny. "Hey Destiny," She said. "I saw this boy as I was patrolling, and as he passed by me, he gave me this note. It's for you." Natalie handed her a folded piece of paper.<br>Destiny unfolded it and saw neat, red handwriting. She read:

Destiny Seagem:  
>Meet by the palace tomorrow at evening. Come alone. If you bring the Order of the Spiral, we will see it as a threat and will not take it lightly.<p>

It was not signed.  
>"That's all?" She asked to herself, after she read it twice, once to herself, another out loud.<br>"Apparently they want to negotiate or something," Esmee said.  
>"But it could be a trap," Ryan reasoned. "It said to come alone."<br>"Maybe we should hide or something to see if it is a trap," Natalie suggested.  
>Jason shook his head. "I don't think this person is dumb," He said. "He or she wouldn't easily fall for it."<br>"I know," Destiny said. "I have the communication stone. If they attack me I can write and you guys can come. I'll go ahead and do it."

* * *

><p>Destiny clutched the stone as she headed towards the palace. It had been about a day now and Jessica still hadn't woken up. Ryan did point out it could take a while, She pointed out to herself.<br>Destiny was alone. No one, not even Nikki, was with her. Destiny then missed the sound of her annoying chirps. She came only with the clothes on her back, the stone in her pouch, and her wand hidden in her robe, prepared to fight.  
>She squinted as she saw a white flag perched on the steps of the green palace of jade. She could make out two people standing on either side of the flag. On the flag's left was a girl. On its right was a boy. Destiny reconized them at once, and immediately dreaded coming in the first place.<br>Well, Neela and Cody did come with a white flag, She reasoned. White flags usually mean surrender or truce.  
>Neela grinned as Destiny climbed up the steps. "Hello, Destiny," Neela said.<br>Destiny grinned sweetly back as she said, "Hi, Traitor,"  
>Neela's grin faded as she shook her head. "When can we put the past behind us and focus on the present?" She questioned.<br>"Never," Destiny replied. "The past is one of the things that motivates me."  
>Destiny heard the sound of footsteps. Neela heard this too, because she turned her head. Cody didn't. He just said, "He's coming,"<br>Destiny knew exactly who 'He' reffered to. Vladimir.  
>Vladimir paused when he was in front of the flag and face-to-face with Destiny. "You do realize we're considering this to be a trap?" Destiny questioned him.<br>Vladimir nodded. "I do indeed," He said. He raised his head up and looked at the white flag looming above them. "But we are under a white flag, no? And surely you realize what a white flag means?"  
>Destiny nodded. "But how do I know this isn't a ploy?"<br>Vladimir considered Destiny's statement. "Very true," He said. "But I do come in peace,"  
>"Something tells me that, knowing you, that's not true," Destiny pointed out.<br>Vladimir sighed. "You don't trust me."  
>"I think you need to work on the meaning of trust," Destiny agreed. "I get that for some reason, you think that the word trust refers to the fact that you get to backstab and backstab all you like and yet people still like you. Is that what it is, according to you?" Destiny flicked her head to the left, pretending to be confused.<br>Vladimir sighed again. "Lets get on with it," He said. He grinned. "Anyways, I come in peace. I want to make a deal, as you would call it."  
>"What kind of deal?" Destiny asked. She pretended to ponder for a minute, then said, "Oh yeah, the kind of deal where you get everything you want and we are left with nothing."<br>Vladimir was growing exhausted from Destiny's backtalk. "No, not that kind," He said. "A trade, you might say."  
>Destiny opened her mouth for a side comment, but no words could escape from her mouth before Vladimir said, "I can give you the Krokodial," He said.<br>Destiny was interested. They only needed one more descendant, but they had no leads whatsoever on the Descendant of Balance and this could win the battle for them. But at what cost? "What do you need?" She asked.  
>Vladimir smiled. He had rid Destiny of her backstabbing words. "I'll need the shredded gold you retrived from the patrolkrok," He asked.<br>Aha! "So that's what Neela came to the base for!" She said.  
>"Don't push it," Neela grunted.<br>Destiny smiled evilly. "I can push it all I like," She said. "And right now, there is nothing you can do about it."  
>Neela looked like she was about to burst.<br>"Now, now," Vladimir soothed the girls.  
>"Wait," Destiny said. "Why do I get the feeling that you can do something disasterous with the gold?" She asked. "What's so special about it?"<br>"That's none of your business," Vladimir said.  
>"If I currently own it and am considering giving it," She said. "It is perfectly my business. I need to know just what I am giving up, because I know you're losing a lot when you hand over the Krokodial."<br>Vladimir nodded. "True," He said. He straightened his back. "Think over it. I'll give you three days to do so. Meet in the cavern at noon in three days. We shall see then." He turned to Neela and Cody, then left with them, leaving Destiny with a bunch of unanswered questions.  
>"Hey!" She called. "You still haven't answered my question! And what cavern?" She gave up when she saw that no one was responding as Vladimir, Neela and Cody left the scene. Destiny left, heading for the spiral chamber.<p>

* * *

><p>"What did he want?" Jason asked as she entered the chamber.<br>"The proper question," Destiny said. "Is what did they want."  
>"Vladimir and Neela?" Esmee questioned.<br>Destiny nodded. "Don't forget Cody," She added.  
>"What did they want, though?" Jason asked.<br>"They wanted a trade," Destiny said. "They offered the Krokodial."  
>This got Jason's attention. "The Krokodial?" He asked. "What did they want in exchange?"<br>"This," Destiny said as she pulled out the jug of gold. She handed it over to Jason, who observed it. "What is it?" He asked, handing it back.  
>"I have no idea," Destiny said as she shoved the shredded gold back into her pouch. "But if they're willing to forfeit the Krokodial, must be of value,"<br>"Dump out the contents," Jason suggested. "See what's in it. I think it's what it stores is what they are concerned a  
>bout."<br>Destiny nodded. Jason led her to a crimson bench. Destiny knelt down and unwinded the cylander cap off. She spilled the gold out, as if shaking a pepper shaker. The gold then left the sphere completly. Destiny shook it rapidly, seeing if anymore pieces remained. She decided that they had as she set it aside to the right of where all the shredded gold sat.  
>Jason picked each piece, studing it throughly when he decided it was useless. He went through this procedure when he came across a piece that was more bright then the others, and bigger too, about twice their size. It had a little gleam to it, as if it were wanting to be noticed. Jason studied this more then the others, carefully put it down, and backed off from the bench.<br>"Destiny," He said in a soft tone. "Whatever you do, do NOT give it away. Kick Vladimir's butt instead when he asks for it, include all the pieces except that and trick him, or not show up at all. I don't care what you do. Just don't give that piece to him."  
>"Why?" Destiny said.<br>"Trust me, you don't want to know," He said. "If you know, it'll send you off after the other six pieces, searching for an ultimate power."  
>"Pieces of what?" Destiny persisted.<br>"I can't tell you," Jason said.  
>"I'm your luitenant," Destiny said. "There's absolutely no need to keep secrets."<br>"Please," Jason begged. "Just don't give it to him."

* * *

><p>Another night passed before Jessica finally awoke.<br>Destiny silently calculated the time. It had taken Jessica two days to pass her Ordeal. She looked around the darkened chamber. Jason, Ryan, Chris, Natalie, Esmee and Alexis were all asleep. It was just her and Jessica.  
>She walked over to Jessica, as she had done with Alexis almost a week before. "The Ordeal?" She asked. Jessica nodded. "Freakiest thing ever," She muttered. After a few minutes of resting her head on her palm, she lifted her head and said, "Apparently I happened to be chosen to get caught up in this whole descendants thing." She sighed. "I didn't even WANT to be in Death. I wanted to be in Storm. But that dang Book of Secrets-" Jessica sighed.<br>Destiny nodded. "I know how you feel," She said. "I had extreme high hopes of being placed in Fire," She said. "I just knew it was my destiny, my future. And when I did learn I was in Death, I tried everything I had to change it. I wanted to control fate." She shook her head grudgingly. "Little did I know was that there's little you can do to change destiny. Fate has a way of turning out. It seems that whatever you do, it leads up to that certain future. And there's almost nothing you can do to change it."  
>Jessica nodded. "And here I am, the descendant of Death," She lamented. "I just wish I could be in my favorite color, purple. I wish that it didn't have to be this way. Why does it have to?" She looked up at the ceiling of the chamber longingly.<br>That's when Destiny remembered the day of her orientation. She remembered way back, almost a year ago, when she was around in her late tens, now eleven going on twelve. She remembered Esmee at the royal playhouse tour, back when she had such high hopes, when Destiny had layed out her future before her. Before everything had gone wrong. Before she could snap out of it, a flashback came to mind.  
><em>"So what shall we explore next?" Destiny asked.<br>In reply, Esmee sat down in a field of magnificent grass, the same patch Destiny had been admiring when she had been staring into the portal view of the castle. "How about looking at the grass?" Asked Esmee. "We need to take some moments out of our lives to appreciate nature."  
>"You sound like a theurgist." Destiny pointed out.<br>"You don't have to be a theurgist to see the beauty in the earth." Said Esmee. "You can be a necromancer and see the life in nature."  
>"It is breathtaking." Agreed Destiny. "But what about in the winter, when the snow is shrouding the grass and the field?"<br>"Even when the snow has fallen," Esmee told Destiny. "You just know the grass is in there somewhere, deep within. You can still feel the little life even underneath the mass of snow. It may not be visible, but it's still there, living for what seems eternity. The beauty of it can never die."_  
>Destiny then realized what that had meant. Esmee had somehow knew she would be placed in the death school. She hadn't just been talking about grass and snow.<br>Destiny snapped out of it and turned back to Jessica. She smiled and said, "Maybe we can't control fate. But it doesn't mean that we have to sober about it either. We don't have to slouch around and give up. You can't let fate take complete control of your life." She put a hand on Jessica's shoulder. "And just because you're a necromancer doesn't mean that there isn't a diviner inside. You can still feel that little life. It may not be showing, but it'll still be there. It will never die. And you can't let people tell you who you need to be. You need to keep your head up high. You just need to say, 'So what? I can be who I want to be,' And nothing, not even fate, can control that."

* * *

><p>"So, what do you think Vladimir meant by the cavern?"<br>Jason shrugged. "I know Mooshu, and I don't know what he meant."  
>"Maybe in a different world?" Ryan suggested.<br>Jason scratched his chin. "Maybe," He said. "But where?"  
>"I have no idea," Destiny said.<br>"That's kinda the point," Jason pointed out. "Is it not?"  
>"I'll go look around Mooshu," Destiny suggested.<br>"But can you take on the enemies?" Jason said, concerned.  
>Destiny stared at him. "You think that I can take on Vladimir and Neela at the same time, spy on Vladimir, but not go around Mooshu?"<br>Jason looked embarrassed. "Sorry,"  
>"You'd better."<br>Destiny first patrolled Hamustu Village. No signs of anything unusual. She looked around the Tatakai Outpost, nothing unusual there to. She looked at the sun. It was around noon now. Exactly one more day to find this cavern and decide what to do about the trade. She had to hurry. If only Vladimir wasn't mysterious!  
>Destiny sighed. She would need help if she wanted to find the cavern in time. She pulled out the stone and wrote: <em>It's noon now, and I've got precisely one more day to find this cavern. I need major help.<em>  
>Jason wrote back. <em>On it. I'll write if I find anything unusual. I'll start with Tatakai Outpost.<br>I already searched Tatakai and Hamustu through and through_, She wrote. _I'll head over to the Tree of Life next.  
>Ok,<em> The next message said. _I'll begin with The Village of Sorrow.  
>Thanks, Jason.<br>No problem. We need to get this deal over with.  
>I agree.<em>  
>Jason didn't write after that. She shoved the communication stone back into her pouch and looked onward to the Tree of Life.<br>A half hour passed when Jason wrote back. _I've checked and double-checked the Village of Sorrow,_ Jason wrote. _That area's hopeless.  
>Don't worry, I think I've found something...<em>  
>Indeed she had. Destiny was looking at a wall blocked by a smooth round stone that was at least twice her size in heighth. It lacked width, though, only about six inches. She wrote: <em>I'm looking at a round stone thing blocking an entrance. I tried pushing it, and it won't budge. Get Ryan or Natalie, or both. I'm going to need strength to push this thing out of the way. Storm descendants are considerably strong. It's a trait I like about them.<em> For that message, Destiny had to write smaller and smaller.  
><em>Seems like a plan,<em> Jason wrote. _By any chance do you know exactly where you are?_  
><em>The main tree,<em> Destiny wrote. _It's actually in the main tree._  
><em>Interesting,<em> Jason said. Hold on. _They're coming.  
>You're the best.<br>I know. It's why I was chosen as commander._

Destiny slipped the stone and silver stick back into her pouch. A few minutes she waited for Natalie and Ryan to come when finally, they did.  
>Ryan studied the stone. "This doesn't look too hard," He said. He walked over to the stone's side, and he pushed it with his bare hands. It barely budged. This time he tried pulling it. No such luck. Now Ryan leaned against the stone with his back and tried pushing it some more. It budged more then the first or second time, but not enough to get a clear opening out of it.<br>"Lemme try," Natalie volunteered.  
>Ryan shook his head. "If I can't do it, you can't. Everyone knows that boys are naturally stronger then girls."<br>"But I'm two years older then you," Natalie pointed out. "Now do you want it to be pushed or not?"  
>Ryan sighed and made way for Natalie to push. She tried with all her strength, but it had the same result as it had with Ryan. She pulled it, and got nothing out of it. Natalie finally tried the last thing Ryan had tried. Nothing. Natalie walked over soloumly. "Useless," She said.<br>"Here, maybe you two should try it together," Destiny suggested. "That's the whole reason why I needed the both of you."  
>Ryan and Natalie understood. They walked over together and tried the same three tequniques. No result.<br>Destiny sighed. "It's no use," She said. Then she had a crazy thought. "What if I tried it?" She asked the descendants.  
>Ryan laughed. "We're the descendants of Storm!" He said. "We're the descendants of the most physically strong legendary. If we can't do it, no one can. You can try, but it's not going to work."<br>"Really good advice from a friend," Destiny muttered.  
>Ryan looked stricken. "I'm sorry, I didn't-"<br>"It's okay," Destiny said. "I know what you mean. But it doesn't hurt to try."  
>Ryan nodded. "I see your point," He said. "Honestly, and no offense, but I doubt it'll work."<br>Destiny smiled. "I don't care."  
>She walked over to the stone that was twice her height. She grunted as she tried to push and pull it. She slouched against the rock, feeling depressed. Then she had an idea. "Ryan, Natalie, how do you try to move things?" She questioned.<br>"I just let my strength flow into the thing I'm trying to push," Ryan said. "I try unite my strength and the object into one."  
>Destiny nodded. She set her hand to the rock and closed her eyes. Become one, she remembered. Let your strength flow into the rock. After what seemed like an hour, but what did turn out to be a few minutes, Destiny leaned her hand against the rock and let her energy out of her hand and into the rock. She didn't open her eyes until she heard something that sounded like something heavy crashing onto something. At the same time she realized that her hand was no longer connected to the rock. Confused, Destiny opened her eyes and saw that the rock had moved more then enough to reveal an opening.<br>She turned to the siblings, whose mouths were open with shock. "How in the name of the spiral did you do that?" Ryan finally managed to get out.  
>"I-I don't know," Destiny stammered. "I-I guess it just came, you know, I guess it was just natural, like I had this power inside of me all along and I didn't know till now." She looked into the passageway. "Let's go," She said. Ryan and Natalie looked at each other and nodded. Ryan stepped aside and said, "Ladies first," Destiny looked at him evilly, gave him a look that said, I'm gonna get you back, and walked inside as Ryan grinned smugly and lagged behind.<p>

The ground gave way as it became steeper and steeper and slid downward. Ryan caught up to the girls and looked around. As the trio walked down the slope, the passageway dimmed and dimmed. The dirt and walls that supported the passageway was a light brown color, like the color of sand.  
>Finally they came to a torchlit dome-like chamber. On the entry's left was a wooden door painted yellow, but the paint wearing away from the effect of time. Destiny walked over to it, and as she got nearer and nearer, she could make out a faded Myth symbol in the middle. There was a steel doorknob and a keylock underneath. Destiny twisted the lock. It wouldn't budge. Destiny wondered if this was because it was worn out or simply locked. She looked over to Natalie and Ryan, who were coming to investigate. Destiny shook her head. "It's locked or something," She said.<br>"Well, at least we stumbled what seems to be the cavern," Ryan said. "This is most likely what Vladimir was talking about."  
>Destiny nodded. "Now that we've found the cavern," She said. "Let's head back."<br>Natalie groaned. "Really?" She whined. "I'm already tired!"  
>"I thought Storm descendants were tough," Destiny pointed out, grinning smugly.<br>Reluctantly Natalie joined Destiny and Ryan as they climbed up the slope, Natalie lagging behind and groaning, occasionally whining something like, "Why this far? Why can't we just teleport?" Destiny sighed as she listened to the groaning. "Natalie," She said. "This is a secret passageway undiscovered for years until we and Vladimir came along, so teleports are going to be closed off for a while. Once we get outside, we can teleport back to the Jade Palace." Natalie groaned again and continued lamenting in response.  
>They finally emerged from the passageway and into Mooshu, the sunlight blinding them as they walked out. They adjusted and to conceal evidence, they together managed to push the rock back to its normal position. Tired and worn out, they teleported back to the Jade Palace and walked over to the spiral chamber.<br>Destiny nearly collapsed as she sat on a bench, Jason rushing to her. "Is that the cavern Vladimir mentioned?" Destiny nodded. "It'd better be," She muttered, worn out. She then fell asleep and didn't wake till the next morning, leaving her only two hours to decide what to do on the matter of the trade.

* * *

><p>Groggily, Destiny woke up.<br>She walked over to the bench where she had layed out the gold pieces. She stuffed them all, even the special piece Jason had warned her about, back into the jug. She twisted the cap back on. Slowly, a plan was forming in mind. A plan to get Vladimir or Jason to tell her about that spepicfic piece. She put it in her pouch and looked outside. Noon was coming.  
>Quickly she gathered the rest of the Order of the Spiral and with Ryan and Natalie's help, led them to the main tree, and then to the rock, which apparently had already been pushed open. So they're already here, She thought.<br>As the Order of the Spiral followed Destiny and Ryan and Natalie, Destiny stopped until she found Jessica. She walked over to her. "No matter what Vladimir, Neela or Cody have to say, don't listen to them. They are descended from-"  
>"Valkoor Thorn," Jessica replied. "I know, I know, The Ordeal basically tells you that kind of stuff. It also pointed out the other descendants." She pointed to Alexis. "For example, that's Alexis Lifestone, descendant of Life," Destiny nodded. Then she had an idea. "Did the Ordeal tell you anything about a Descendant of Balance?"<br>Jessica shook her head. "The Descendant of Balance apparently hasn't had his or her Ordeal before, so it was unable to recongize them." Destiny understood.  
>The Order of the Spiral then climbed down in silence. Then they got near enough that Destiny heard other people talking.*<br>"It's past noon," Destiny heard a female voice persist.  
>"Relax," Came an unknown voice. "Vladimir told us she'd be here."<br>Neela and Cody.  
>"Not just her," They heard Vladimir speak up. "Knowing her, she's going to take precautions and bring the rest of the Order of the Spiral."<br>Just then, Destiny and the rest of the group came down. Vladimir, Neela and Cody still held the white flag.  
>Vladimir nodded. "As predicted," He said. Vladimir turned back to Destiny. "Do you have it?" He asked, pulling the Krokodial out.*<br>Destiny nodded. "As promised," She assured. Destiny opened her pouch and pulled out the jug of gold.  
>"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" Jason yelled.<br>Destiny grinned smugly. Vladimir eagerly outstretched his hand. Destiny looked down at the jug, then said, "Wait, like I said back at the palace, I need to know what exactly I am trading," Destiny observed the jug, trying to figure things out.  
>"Just hand it over," Vladimir said.<br>"I need to know what I'm trading," Destiny persisted. "Because I know that you worked hard to get the Krokodial, and you wouldn't give it up easily. You know what you are trading. So I need to know what I'm trading."  
>Vladimir sighed in exasperation. "Please, give it to me."<br>Destiny sighed. She would have to use her plan. "If you don't tell me what this contains," She threatened. "Then I'll smash this bottle and the gold to bits," She said, holding the jar high above her head to prove her point.  
>Vladimir's face temperature dropped to almost zero degrees, not breathing because he had been stunned. "You wouldn't," He finally managed, his voice almost a whisper.<br>Destiny nodded. "If that is what it takes, I'll do it."  
>Vladimir laughed. "Okay, okay, hand it over now," He said.<br>Destiny shook her head. "I'm warning you," She said. "You have until three to tell me what I'm giving up."  
>"No, please, don't!"<br>"One."  
>Vladimir was at Destiny's mercy. "Please, give it up, not only will I give you the Krokodial, I won't bother you for a long time!"<br>"Two."  
>"Come on, you can't!"<br>"Three."  
>"NO!"<br>It was too late. Vladimir watched helplessly as Destiny threw down the jug and smashed it with her feet. Vladimir was stunned, and he was getting angry. He turned to Neela and Cody. "We'll have to go with plan B," He said with gritted teeth. "ATTACK!" He shouted.

Instantly the Order of the Spiral prepared for battle as Vladimir, Neela and Cody charged. Neela stopped in front of Alexis and casted the death symbol in front of her, bringing a wraith to life as Alexis casted a seraph to counter. Chris joined Alexis, casting a minotaur to help. Cody went after Jason, making a skeletal pirate to compare to Jason's helephant. Esmee joined Jason and cast an evil snowman. Ryan helped with a kraken, and Natalie came to Chris and Alexis, introducing herself with a storm shark. The Order of the Spiral seemed to be doing well, so Destiny and Jessica weren't sure what to do. But they didn't have to realize what to do. Vladimir's scarecrow realized for them. Jessica quickly cast a death shield for herself, and then cast one for Destiny, so they took less damage. Destiny cast a vampire while Jessica did a skeletal pirate. Vladimir gritted his teeth. He cast a skeletal pirate, aiming for Destiny. As Destiny was distracted, Vladimir ran from the fight and rushed to the remains of the gold pieces, frantically searching for that one piece. And just as he was about to grasp it, Destiny pushed him aside and grabbed the piece as he was stunned.  
>Vladimir was willing to put up a fight, though. He casted a symbol- wait, just what symbol was he casting?<br>Because he wasn't tracing the Death symbol. Vladimir was etching his trademark insignia in the air- a capitol V with lines arcross it.  
>Destiny's confusion brought her off guard as the V broke and encased an aura in the form of a bubble take over them- like Doom and Gloom and Wildfyre. But it wasn't Death or Fire symbols raining down from overhead- it was the capitol V with spikes. And in it was just her and Vladimir. Everyone else was cut off.<br>The sound of spells ringing and symbols breaking outside were a blur- Destiny and Vladimir casted spell after spell at each other hoping to weaken the other. Both had numorous Death Shields surrounding them, expecting their opponent to cast a spell belonging to their shared primary school. But both being masters of battle and as if sensing this, Destiny mainly used Fire traps and sunbirds, the occasional treasure card popping up. Destiny was clearly expressing her secondary school to Vladimir while the latter used a variety of spells to confuse Destiny. And she did get confused a bit, except for the fact that she noted that Vladimir didn't use a single Life spell even to heal himself (Vladimir just used scarecrow) and that he used Storm just a tad bit more frequently than others.  
>But then Destiny realized something- this was a distraction- something to take her mind off of the piece that Jason had warned her about.<br>She had to get out of the battle.  
>But how? She couldnt flee- no in could teleport in or out of the Cavern. Shed have to go on the offensive.<br>Destiny quickly shuffled through her treasure cards. What was there?  
>Then she found Centaur. She had gotten the magus Life spell along with a variety of other spells from winning a running race.<br>Destiny was so glad she had won now.  
>She etched the unfamiliar Life symbol in the air, trying to quickly adjust to the leafy outline. It was so unfamiliar- she rarely even used Pixie- like Vladimir, she mainly used sacrifice.<br>Finally the outline of the leaf split, revealing the Centaur. Slightly taken aback, Vladimir tried to quickly prepare a Life Shield when he realized that it wasn't going for him. It was going for the aura. The Centaur loaded an arrow, drew it back and fired with stunning precision, resulting in the breaking of the shell that had looked down at the fight between Vladimir and her.  
>Breathing hard, Destiny ran away from Vladimir and the battlefield they had shared to Jessica. She nudged her. "Distract Vladimir," She said, breathing hard. Jessica nodded.<br>Destiny ran out of the cavern and into the passageway. Shortly she heard a yell from Vladimir and ran even faster. She could hear Vladimir, Neela, and Cody on their tails. She ran as fast as she could until she was out of the passageway and back into Mooshu. Vladimir, Neela, and Cody arrived shortly after her.  
>"Give. It. To. Me." Vladimir gritted.<br>"I really don't know." Destiny smiled. "Go. Now. Before I change my mind and attack you!"  
>"A journeyman going against two grandmasters and a magus?" Neela scoffed.<br>"The Order of the Spiral is down there," Destiny reasoned. "I can cry for help."  
>"I'll bet they've already-" Vladimir stopped. He knew every single member, except for Jessica. None were likely to back down.<br>"Eight against three," Destiny added. "You're smart. What are the chances of THAT?"  
>Nor Vladimir or Neela or Cody said anything.<br>"Now leave," Destiny threatened. "A summoned ghoul can tell that the Order of the Spiral has won this round."  
>Vladimir and Neela looked at each other as Cody teleported out. Then Vladimir and Neela teleported away.<br>Destiny grinned in triumph.  
>"I'm going down to find out what the deal is with this piece." She said out loud. Destiny climbed down the sandy passageway.<br>Destiny finally came down to the cavern, immediately walking over to Jason. She pulled the piece out and handed it to Jason, who accepted it eagerly. "Now, you saw how I almost broke that piece," She said. "Please, tell me what it it!"  
>Jason sighed. Then he smiled. "I guess there's no stopping you, huh?"<br>"That's why I'm the luitenant," Destiny replied.  
>Jason remembered when he had wrote that on the stone. Then he looked at Destiny in the face and said, "That, that piece," He said. "Is Myth's Shard."<br>"The shard to what?" Destiny asked.  
>"I'm talking about the Blade of Seven."<p> 


	7. Part 7 Blade of Seven

**A/N: Well, I hope you're ready for storytelling! Because that's what this Part is all about! **

**Yup, some vital stuff that will be useful later on in the series is all in here. Since it's only that too, it's also going to be a lot shorter than usual. But don't worry- Part 8 is going to be a longer part, and Part 9 is at least 60 Microsoft Word pages long. **

**Now for the reviewers- thank you fanficreader137, SportzDawg, Mastress Tessa and Laveycee for reviewing! All reviewers next time will get virtual cookies! :D**

**So, enjoy!**

* * *

><p>The Necromancer's Matter, Part 7; The Blade of Seven<p>

15 A.C.

_A teenage-looking boy woke up. He got dressed in his black robes, pulled his hood on, and set out for Mooshu._

_He was called Death._

_Death's aura spread as he traveled around Mooshu. There was a faint blackness around him, but not much because it was Mooshu. He walked over to the Tree of Life, headed for the main tree.  
><em>

_Death pushed aside the stone and traveled down the long passageway. Then he got to a cavern. He stumbled upon a door, newly painted yellow, and Myth's symbol etched in the middle in blue. Death knocked on the door.  
><em>

_The door swung open to reveal an ashy blonde, dirty and oily hair in which the ends seemed to stick up a bit boy with bright blue eyes in yellow and blue robes, an apron decorated with dirt, smudges and the occasional hole. He was slightly pudgy. He smiled. "Ah, Death," He greeted. "A good surprise. Come on in." Death nodded and entered into a room with a stone fireplace, weapon-making tools, dies, an anvil and a water cooler. Racks hanging with hammers, __forging tools, and swords were hung on the tan wall. Across from the door in which Death had entered was another entryway. The room smelled of burning metal and the heat was almost exhausting, from the so many projects his friend had worked on during his lifetime._

_Death turned to the boy. "I see that you are making preparations for the war against Valkoor?" He inquired.  
><em>

_The boy nodded. "I'm trying to make as many swords and wands as I can."  
><em>

_Death smiled, but his hood shrouded it. "You've always been a master forger, Myth," Death complemented.  
><em>

_Myth smiled and bowed his head in thanks.  
><em>

_"But, however," Death said, arching an eyebrow. "I have an idea. Back when Valkoor was the monster, how did we defeat him?"  
><em>

_"We all combined our powers into one," Myth remembered.  
><em>

_Death nodded his approval. "Right. And this time, I have a feeling Valkoor will be stronger then he was last. So I was thinking, maybe the only way to defeat him this time is to forge a weapon with all of our powers into it."  
><em>

_Myth hesitated. "That's pretty risky," He said. "What if Valkoor got a hold of it?"  
><em>

_Death smiled. "He won't." He laid a hand on Myth's shoulder. "I need you to create a blade. Then we'll get the other wizards, and combine our powers into one."  
><em>

_Myth thought for a second. "There are other ways, Death," He reminded. "We just haven't found them yet."  
><em>

_"But would we find them in time?" Death inquired.  
><em>

_Myth had no answer.  
><em>

_"I need you to forge the blade," He said. "For right now, there's no other way. He will be stronger then the last, and you know it."  
><em>

_Myth reluctantly agreed.  
><em>

_That night, after Death left, Myth outlined the design for the sword. He made changes and added things, making sure for the sword to be just right. Then after Myth was positive it would do, he forged the blade, but it was not together. It was split into seven pieces.  
><em>

_The day following, all of the Legendaries came together. Myth explained the situation to them. "We must combine into one once more." He nodded to Storm.*  
>Storm acknowledged Myth, then picked up a piece, and concentrated on the steel, closing his eyes. Gradually, the piece turned from silver to purple. After Storm put power into his piece, he set it down. Now it was Ice's turn. She concentrated on the piece, and after a while, it became blue. Then Fire turned her piece into a fiery red. Then Death poured his power into his. And so forth, after all the pieces were completed.<br>_

_After all the pieces had power in them, Myth set them together again, placed it under burning heat, which allowed the pieces of power to melt to a molt. Then he poured the molt, the Legendaries power now mixed, into two dyes, which allowed to steel to assume the soon-to-be shape of the weapon. The molt burned for a few hours and the particles began to compact together into a solid. _

_When it seemed to be done, steam was curling off of it when Myth brought down a sturdy hammer against the new steel, tightening and roughening it, steam burning off of it and filling the tan dirt walls and floors. _

_Sweat was being produced on Myth's forehead due to the heat, and when it looked good, Myth reached for a pair of tongs, fumbled with the metal for a while, then got a steady hold on it and lifted it up. Myth rushed to a tank of water and dipped the whole blade into the water, cooling it off. After a few minutes, he pulled it out. If it was not cooled completely, he would dunk the blade back in, until it was a normal temperature.  
><em>

_The ending result was great. Myth studied the blade. It was like a scimitar, and a little holographic. It switched from color to color every second, confusing some people on its true color. The curve of the blade was really rough, so rough it was as if enchanted, which it was.  
><em>

_"The Blade of Seven," Myth whispered, so low it was almost a breath, the air it sucked up and let out flowing almost greedily into the wind, for something legendary and history-changing had just been born..._

Present Time

"What's that?" Destiny asked.

"Long ago," Jason explained. "It was back when Valkoor was returning. The wizards were making preparations for the upcoming war. Storm practiced fighting. Ice began strategizing. Fire tried desperately to look into the future. Myth forged weapons. Life readied her healing spells. Balance helped with whatever he could find. But Death had other ideas.

"He walked up to Myth one day and asked him to build a sword. A powerful sword. Myth agreed, and, one by one the wizards poured their magic into the sword. The Blade of Seven was therefore created.

"And shortly after, a battle with Valkoor and his followers arose. Both sides fought vigorously, but in the end, it was the wizards who won the first battle, with the help of the Blade of Seven. But the victory was short-lived. Valkoor began to see how he could steal the sword, and win the war with its help. Fire saw this, and cried on the Legendaries for desperate help. They decided that, in order to keep Valkoor from getting a hold of it, they had to split the blade into the seven pieces from which the sword had originated from. They cut the blade, and gave one piece to each wizard to protect with his or her life. And they did. And when they all died, they hid the pieces in a super secret spot." Jason held the yellow shard. "This is Myth's piece. He camouflaged it well."

Destiny nodded. Then she remembered back at Thorn Manor, when Vladimir had mentioned a blade. "Oh my gosh," Destiny muttered, then brought her voice up. "Vladimir's after the sword!"

Jason nodded. "He knew that Myth's Shard was there. He had lost it when Neela had given it to the patrolkrok. When Neela had seen he no longer had it, apparently they tried everything to get the shard. Raiding the base. Giving the Krokodial. And if you had indeed crushed the piece, we would all be at a loss."

"What would've happened?" Destiny questioned.

"Let's just put it at this- the Shards are filled to the brim with powerful radiation and cosmic energy, and the outer shell contains it. So if you had broken it, the exterior would spit and the energy would burst out and rebound- therefore killing us all."

Destiny's eyes grew big. All of a sudden she was thankful that her plan had, in a way, failed.

Destiny shook her head quickly as if brushing the topic off. "Apparently Vladimir needs it for something he needs to do," Destiny said. "The Blade of Seven is the only item missing out of three."

"Did you find out what the other two were?" Jason inquired.

Destiny nodded. "The Onyx of Darkness and the Helm of Power."

"Oh, Destiny, do you even realize-"

"Yes, Life told me."

Jason sighed. "Apparently the Legendaries like you or something. You keep running into them! Only a matter of time before you shake Myth's hand and have a conversation with Death!"

"Let's focus!" Destiny hissed. "Just how powerful is this blade? Like, I know it's the Legendaries' sword and everything, but, is it even worthwhile?"

Jason stared at Destiny as if she had just grown a million extra arms. "The Blade of Seven is only the most powerful weapon in the spiral and makes the wielder nearly invincible! How can you even joke? If he gets the sword, there's no stopping him!" Jason hesitated, then said, "Unless..."

"Unless what?" Destiny asked.

Jason sighed. "Nothing. It's nearly impossible, anyways."

"What isn't possible?" Destiny inquired.

"The only way the Blade of Seven can be stopped," Jason said. He took a deep breath, and Destiny sensed that something else big was coming up.

"The Pure Descendant."

"Pure Descendant?" Destiny asked.

"A Pure Descendant contains the blood of all seven Legendaries," Jason explained. "A Pure Descendant must have Storm's strength, Ice's knowledge and wisdom, Fire's ability to foresee, Death's cunning, Myth's creativity and ability to forge, Life's compassion, and Balance's judgment. In history, so far only one has come up. He has passed away already."

"Who's that?" Destiny asked.

"A boy called Marcus Dawngem," Jason said. "He lived to be a grandmaster pyromancer, and he was truly great," Jason sighed. "His life ended in a truly sad way."

"What happened?" Destiny asked.

"He was killed," Jason said. "We don't know how, or who."

"If he was killed," Destiny reasoned. "You should know who did it, or at least how."

Jason shook his head. "Actually, it was kind of like paralysis. One day he was just fine in perfect health, the next he was laying on his bedroom floor, mouth and eyes wide open his skin pale, and his heart not beating. He just... died. He had to be murdered."

Destiny agreed, then said, "So, you're thinking that maybe we could possibly find a pure descendant, just in case Vladimir forges the blade?"

Jason nodded. "One problem," He said. "We don't know if a Pure Descendant currently exists, besides Marcus. And who KNOWS how many pieces Vladimir has while we only have one."

Destiny thought. "Knowing us," She finally said. "We HAD to have come across a piece. Apparently we just didn't know it."  
>Jason scratched his chin and nodded. "We might have," He said.<p>

Destiny closed her eyes and remembered her very recent adventures in Mooshu, her mission in Marleybone, the betrayal in Grizzlehiem, her time in Krokotopia-  
>Krokotopia.<p>

It then hit her.

She opened her eyes rapidly, and ran faster then she had ever run before up the slope after she called out, "I know where Ice's Shard is!"

* * *

><p>Back in Marleybone, Vladimir was talking to Neela.<p>

"I've been thinking," He said. "We have the advantage in so many ways. We have two of the key components to our plan, we've got five of the seven pieces, and we know where another is, we hold the Krokodial, we even have the second half of the Prophecy of Fire the Order of the Spiral probably don't even know about." He turned and stared at Neela coldly. "But they do have a huge advantage, numbers."

"Numbers?" Neela was confused.

Vladimir sat up straight. "The only reason that we lost Myth's Shard and lost the battle of Mooshu," He continued. "Was simply because they had more people than we did. As Destiny had said, eight and three. We need more people for our cause."

Neela nodded. Now she understood. "I was strolling through Olde Town the other day," She said. "I overheard a group of boys. Seems like they might be willing to fight for us, as long as we pay them right."

Neela had grasped Vladimir's attention. "Depends," He said. "What schools do they take? What rank are they?"

"A master diviner, two pyromancers, an adept and a master, a grandmaster conjurer, heck, even another adept, this time a theurgist," Neela replied.

"We do need other people besides necromancers," Vladimir mused. "Having different schools could prove useful."

"Exactly my point."

Vladimir nodded his understanding. Now with so many advantages that the Order of the Spiral didn't even realize, they were sure to win. The Order thought they were in the lead, one step ahead of them.

But they weren't.

They would accomplish his dream, his vision he had for four years.

Vladimir thought of the black haired and blue-eyed girl as he reminded himself that it was also in her name.

* * *

><p>The sprite fluttered around Unicorn Way.<p>

The sprite sighed. She needed a break from her colony, her duties that replaced her now banished rival.

But she was about to understand her enemy's predicament.

Because now she saw a necromancer. He had short blue hair, a black bandit cap, a robe with storm markings on it, and a clockwork staff. But how he looked wasn't what got her attention. It was what he spoke of.

"I'm really wondering who that charmed sprite is," The necromancer said to another necromancer. "I'm beginning to think that she may play a vital role."

Charmed sprite...

The sprite fluttered over to the blue-haired necromancer. She wondered how she could speak with him; they began teaching the sprite language when theurgists reached masterdom. Even then, few were fluent. Then she got an idea. The sprite zoomed over to the necromancer, fluttered in his face for a few seconds, then led his gaze to some fresh dirt. In the dirt, she had carved the words,_ Who exactly is this sprite?_

"Um, black hair, pale skin, red dress, red eyes, more death-looking," The blue-haired boy replied.

She knew it! This was the description of her rival! The sprite wrote, _What is she called?_

"I heard a girl call her Nikki," The necromancer responded.

_Are you against her?_

"I guess you can say that,"

The sprite grinned. She knew she hadn't rid of Nikki! Maybe from the Sprite Colony, but not from the Spiral itself, and princesses had to aim high. She wrote, _Nikki is an old rival of mine. Will you allow me to join this cause? _

_Communication will be a tad bit short, but we can figure things out_.

"Maybe. What would you be called?" The necromancer inquired.

The sprite grinned and wrote, _Lady Lily. What may I call you?_

The necromancer kneeled and said, "Cody Shadowstrider. If you are with us, come." Cody walked away.

Lily gladly followed.


	8. Part 8 Sophia's Shard Part 1

**A/N: My horrible excuse for not posting this way earlier?**

**Laziness. Sheer, utter, laziness.**

**I mean, a few of my stories I actually do have an excuse for because I simply don't have time to write them, but I had this posted on Central all along. All I had to do was copy and paste it onto a word document and post it on here. **

**But no. I was too LAZY to do it. **

**Anyways, TNM is actually complete now, so at least it's guaranteed to be a finished product AND a sequel coming up shortly AND to make up for the absence of chapters recently, chapters of TNM should now be posted in rapid succession.**

**Also, from here on out, Parts are getting pretty long, and I'm sure you don't want to have to read 30+ pages all in one sitting, so I'm dividing the parts into parts. **

**Now, thank you fanficreader137 for reviewing last chapter! Enjoy!**

* * *

><p>The Necromancer's Matter, Part 8; Sophia's Shard (Part 1)<p>

In the Entrance Hall with its almost frozen dark blue walls and the air trying to hack away to cool down, the nirini crumbled to the thautamerge.

She smiled in triumph. The nirini had put up quite a fight! Then, she unexpectedly felt a new power surge through her. She was now level eighteen, just one level behind her friend!

What was more, the thautamerge found a drop. It appeared to be a pendant, square shaped with an aythemist in the middle. Apparently it gave Kracken.

The thautamerge's hands scrambled to her neck and undid the clasp that held her necklace that gave her Blizzard. She looked down at the amulet-correction, locket- with the sapphire in the middle, adorning the rest of the silver oval. True, this had remained faithful and by her side for a long time, and as pretty as it was, it would have to go. Sure, it gave her Blizzard, but she soon would learn it and add it to her deck. She couldn't do that with Kracken. It would be practically useless.

Sophia sighed as she put the locket in her pouch and headed to sell it.

* * *

><p>"What is WRONG with you?" Noah yelled at his cousin, Antonio, when they arrived at the Krokotopian house. As Noah slammed the door, he ran after Antonio, who began running, too.<p>

Antonio grinned wickedly as Noah chased the theurgist. To Noah, Antonio was a diabolical prankster, loving to tease and humiliate Noah with his pranks and his friends: Anthony Spiritwalker, Adam Soulcrafter and Jose Breeze. There had been too many fights between Noah and Antonio to name, both mentally and physically. Same with his pranks. Noah hated his cousin with all he had. He hated the fights and pranks Antonio set. Antonio made his life meserable. Barely a second could he get away from him, because he had to live with Antonio as well.

Noah grittted his teeth as he ran. Antonio might be three years older then him, but he was also quicker, despite his build. Noah gave his legs all he had, because Antonio had gone too far this time! One time Antonio had masterly forged a letter from the headmaster claiming it was dress-up-like-a-tree day. Noah, loving to participate in Ravenwood activities, had made a tree costume that had looked so real. The result for Noah were many gawks, stares and laughter. Worst of all, humiliation. Another time was when Noah had desperately needed a new robe. Antonio had given him a fake gift card for the Krokotopian robe shop. Noah had, again, fallen for it completely, presented it, and the result had been being suspended from the shop for a year. But his latest was out of control.

Noah finally caught up to Anotonio and yanked the collar of his green robe. Noah had a firm grip on Antonio, strong enough to make sure he wouldn't get away. Antonio's tan skin, long brown hair, and mischevous green eyes looked to Noah. Antonio put his hands in the air, then let them fall to his sides as he said, "All right, all right. You caught me. What now?"

"Why?" Noah yelled. "Sure, the dress-up-day jokes were tolerateable, but framing me for thievery? Do you even realize how long it took for me to convince them that I didn't do anything? Not even funny! I don't get why the stupid Book of Secrets placed you in Life!"

"But I see why the Book of Secrets placed you in Fire," Antonio mused. "Angry, hotheaded-"

"HOTHEADED?" Noah yelled. "I'm calm most of the time! I'm angry only because you set me off!"

"Which is pretty much-"

"SHUT UP, LIFESPEAR!" Noah snarled.

"Or what, Firewielder?" Antonio snarled back. "Gonna cry to mommy?"

That did it.

Noah screamed in fury and punched Antonio in the face. Hot with anger, Antonio clenched his hands into fists, and punched Noah back, but in the stomach. Noah didn't have air for a second and Antonio seized that oppritunity to kick him. Before Noah could react, Antonio teleported away.

Noah gritted his teeth as he recovered from the blows Antonio had served him. When would Antonio grow up? Noah teleported to him.

Antonio was laughing with his friends in Olde Town. Noah breathed heavly. Then he turned to Antonio's friends. "Why are you guys even with him?" Noah had the nerve to ask.

"We've been friends since who knows," Jose Breeze said, a master diviner in purple Mooshu clothes with purple eyes, pale skin and short brown hair.

"Antonio's cool," Anthony Spiritwalker added, a master pyromancer in red and white Mooshu robes and long red hair and yellow eyes.

"That, and we'd do basically anything or side with anyone if they paid us right," Adam Soulcrafter added, a grandmaster conjurer in yellow dragonspyre robes with long blonde hair and blue eyes.

"Even if it was wrong?" Noah asked. "Even if it would mean destruction?"

Adam shrugged. "Pretty much, if we were able to live."

Jose sighed. "I agree with Adam, mostly." He said. "I wouldn't do it if it meant the end of the spiral as we know it." Jose turned to Noah and snickered.

"Like it would actually happen, though!"

Anthony joined Jose by _tsk-tsk_ing Noah. "Twelve-year-olds," He said. "When you actually grow up like us, you'll understand that if it benifits you, you do it. There's all that there is to it."

"Aw, don't make fun of him, Anthony," Antonio pretended to sympathize for Noah. "The poor kid's mommy and daddy died."

Anger set Noah off once more, and he swung a fist at Antonio, who in turn quickly ducked, with Noah's fist going by above his head. When anyone talked of his parents that way, Noah got really upset and it always resulted in a physical fight. He knew it was just Antonio trying to set him off, but he couldn't help it.

Antonio quickly rose up, grinning, and rammed his side into Noah, who attempted to defend with the nub of his elbow, but Antonio just seemed to go right through him knocking him down into the ground. But Noah quickly rebounded and swung a roundhouse kick at his cousin, who was grinning from ear to ear. Noah caught ahold of Antonio's sleeve and Antonio repetitvely punched him in the arm as Noah kicked him in the knuts and attempted to swing yet another punch at the theurgist. Antonio ducked easily and wrenched his arm out of Noah's grasp, ducking again as Noah lost sight of him...

And Noah quickly sensed Antonio behind him.

But his cousin was faster. Antonio rammed his hip into Noah, who was knocked down onto the cement. Antonio, Anthony, Jose and Adam all laughed at Noah's great yet somewhat feeble attempt to get back at Antonio. The quartet quickly teleported away with a recovering Noah getting up and calling after them, "Who runs home NOW?"

Gritting his teeth and breathing hard, Noah looked all around him. For some reason, the sight that seemed to have stood out most was a girl in her early teens, either Noah's age or slightly older, with black hair wrapped into a ponytail and pale skin. She was wearing a black and red bandit cap, and another Marleybonian carnival dress the same colors. She held in her hand a sword with a black blade. It was apparent that she was a necromancer. Noah had a feeling that she had witnessed everything. The girl turned around and ran away.

Little did Noah know, she would grow to become a worse enemy then Antonio.

* * *

><p>Sophia exited Ravenwood, into the Commons, out from the Commons and into the Shopping District, then out of the Shopping District and to Olde Town, and Olde Town was where the Bazaar was. For some reason, the Bazaar always had the best deals.<p>

Sophia entered the Bazaar and walked over to the merchant. She pulled out the locket. "How much will this be worth?" She inquired.

"Around two hundred ten gold," The merchant replied.

Sophia nodded as she handed the merchant the locket. "Done," She said as she did so. In turn, he handed her the amount of gold. Sophia made sure it was the correct amount of gold, then nodded her approval. Sophia walked out of the Bazaar.

She had sold the amulet.

That was, except for one piece.

* * *

><p>Destiny was running so fast up the slope that Nikki actually had to fly fast in order to catch up.<p>

Nikki breathed hard as she kept up with Destiny. _Well, where's the Ice shard, then?_ Nikki questioned.

Breathing hard, Destiny replied, "Well, before I came to Grizzlehiem, The Order of the Spiral traveled to Krokotopia in search of an artifact. It was before Neela had revealed herself as a traitor. Anyways, my best friend Sophia arrived to tell me she had recieved a necklace. Secretly, it was a locket. And in the locket was a fragment of something. Apparently, a fragment of the Blade of Seven!"

_Oh, gosh._

Destiny nodded. "I know! And it seems frightening that my best friend unknowingly holds a key component to the most powerful, legendary, and dominating weapon in the history of the spiral!"

_Um, yeah, that's bad._

"Hey! Wait up!"

Destiny turned around to see Jessica, Descendant of Death, to come up behind her. "I didn't know that you were a fast runner!" She exclaimed.

"And I didn't know that my friend unknowingly holds a fragment to the most powerful weapon ever to name!" Destiny yelled.

"Uh oh," Jessica said.

_I know, huh sunshine?_

"Nikki! That's only making things worse!" Destiny snapped.

_Things can't really be worse!_

Destiny sighed. Usually she when she got into a fight with Nikki, Destiny would put so much effort into her side yet Nikki still always won with her backtalk and cunning, that little devious mind. So of course the journeyman necromancer didn't put up a fight. Then she squinted as she saw daylight ahead of her.

They were almost out. _Yes!_ Destiny cheered gleefully inside her mind. _As soon as I get out of the cavern, the sooner I can teleport to Sophia, and the sooner we can aquire the shard!_

She finished the thought as she ran out of the inside of the huge tree and teleported to Sophia.

Destiny was panting as she came to Sophia, now panting, and Nikki and Sophia just looking at her, especially Sophia. "Um, hi." Sophia said.

"No time," Destiny said. "Quick, where's that locket?"

"What locket?" Sophia asked.

"THE LOCKET YOU SHOWED ME IN KROKOTOPIA! NOW! AS YOU CAN SEE, I AM NOT THE MOST PATIENT PERSON IN THE SPIRAL RIGHT NOW!" Destiny yelled.

Sophia "Oh"ed quietly. "That locket," She said. "Um, I sorta sold it."

"YOU WHAT?"

"Hey, hey, don't get all worked up on me, please." Sophia said. "I just found another amulet that gives me Kracken as a drop, the amulet was usless, what did you expect me to do?"

_We expected you to kinda give it to us!_ Nikki clarified.

"Oh!" Sophia said, signaling Destiny that she heard Nikki's talk- well, in her case, chirping. "Wow, that is one weird looking sprite. I didn't notice it till now. What do you call her?"

_WEIRD LOOKING?_ Nikki yelled. She turned to Destiny. _HOW ARE YOU FRIENDS WITH HER? DIDN'T NOTICE ME! I'll show the little brat..._

"Nikki!" Destiny scolded.

"What's she saying?" Sophia asked. "It seems like you can understand her. I thought they only taught sprite to master theurgists."

"She's saying that its nice to meet you," Destiny replied.

_My my my my, you are a bad interpreter,_ Nikki scolded.

"SHUT UP!" Destiny said. She turned to Sophia. "Where'd you sell the locket to?"

"I sold it to the Bazaar," Sophia said. "Geez, if you just wanted the amulet, then why did you just tell me?"

"Hard to explain!" Destiny said, already rushing off to the Bazaar. But Destiny and Nikki had ran too far to hear Sophia cry to them:

"Wait, is it the thingy inside you needed?"

* * *

><p>Cause it had sure seemed like it.<p>

Sophia opened her pouch and looked at the shard. What could possibly be so special about it? In Krokotopia she had asked Destiny if it had any value. She said no. Now a month later she was after it!

What wasn't she telling her?

Sophia sighed. Something was wrong. But she soon forgot about it, seeing as how a voice cry, "UGH!"

She turned around to see a boy about twelve years old with short blonde hair and blue eyes. He had pale skin and appeared to look twelve years old, not much older then Sophia and Destiny. He was banging his head against the wall of the Wizard City Athame Shop. Sophia walked over to him. "What's the matter?" Sophia consoled.

The boy stopped banging his head and turned to look at her, gritting his teeth. "Lets just say cousins can be a pain," He finally gritted.

Sophia laughed silently. "Why's that?" She asked. "I have a friend who adores her cousin."

"Lucky friend, then," The boy envied. "She doesn't know that she has it good. Mine is a pain. Constantly harasses and torments me. I can't get away from him because I have to live with him!"

Sophia tilted her head in sympathy. "I'm sorry," She said. "Who's your necromancer cousin?"

The boy stared at Sophia as if she had just grown a million extra arms. "Necromancer?" He questioned. Then he laughed. "Oh, my cousin is no Death wizard," He finally said. "He's a theurgist, believe it or not."

"If he's a tormentor, then how did he get into the Life school?"

The boy shrugged. "I have no clue," He said. "You're right, he does deserve to be in Death. Sometimes the Book of Secrets can take wrong turns, huh?"

"I don't know," Sophia said. "My friend was really anticipating to be in Fire, you have no dang idea. She was placed in Death. And from what I've seen, it appears to have been her calling all along."

"But Antonio isn't worthy of a novice theurgist personality," The boy smirked. "I guess they can sometimes." Then he looked shock. "I'm sorry, I believe I've forgotten to introduce myself," He apologized. "I'm Noah Firewielder." Noah offered his hand.

Sophia accepted it. "I'm Sophia," She said. She stopped shaking. "I'm a thautamerge."

"As if that's hard to believe," Noah said. "Pyromancer."

Sophia nodded. "As if that's hard to believe," She countered.

Noah grinned. "You catch on pretty fast," He complimented.

Sophia blushed. "Not really, actually," She admitted.

"Oh, don't be modest," Noah persisted.

"I'm not!" Sophia said. "I'm just known to be a good counterer."

Noah grinned. Then his face lit up. "Um, hey, wanna duel? Just to pass time."

"Sure," Sophia accepted. "What kind?"

"2v2?"

Sophia grinned. "Sounds perfect."

* * *

><p>Breathing heavily, Destiny ran into the Bazaar. She ran up to the merchant. "Have- did you see a girl thautamerge just come in and sell a locket that gave Blizzard?" She asked, panting.<p>

_You had better seen her, or I swear..._ Nikki began.

"Nikki, no!" Destiny said. She really wanted to pound that sprite to a pulp.

The merchant eyed her, and with that Destiny could tell that he was suspisious. "Why?" He questioned.

"She's my friend," Destiny explained. "I wanted her locket so bad, and she might have forgot that I wanted it. Can I have the same locket she just sold?"

"Sure, if you have around two thousand gold," The merchant said simply.

_What harm will it do to you to just GIVE it to us?_ Nikki questioned rudely.

Destiny looked in her pouch, examining her gold. A little over two thousand. It brought her back to when she was in Mooshu, where she had been barely five minutes ago. She had wanted a ninja pig pet, but didn't have enough gold. A girl had volunteered to help her, and that girl had just happened to be Jessica, descendant of Death. As she paid, she just realized an incredible fact.

They had all Descendants but Balance.

The merchant handed her the locket. Eagerly Destiny opened it and looked inside. She was incredibly disappointed when she found that there was no shard within.

She was on the verge of crying. All that gold for nothing! And if it wasn't in the amulet, where was it now? Could it be lost? Could Sophia misplaced it? Could it have been dropped?

Or could Sophia still have it?

An eager rush of excietment exited her brain and flowed through her veins as she realized not all hope was all lost. Destiny knew that if she were looking in a mirror, that her eyes would be sparkling. She handed the merchant the amulet and said, "Never mind, I was thinking about a different amulet. Sorry."

She handed the amulet back, and the merchant gave her around two thousand gold. Destiny slipped them into her pouch and immediately felt the weight on her hip. Then death logos filled the air. Destiny turned around to see Jessica standing behind her.

_Oh crud, you again,_ Nikki said sarcastically.

"Sophia has it!" Destiny said, as she began to run out of the Bazaar.

"Wait," Jessica stopped. "Who's Sophia?"

_SHE TOLD IT TO YOU IN THE FREAKING CAVERN!_ Nikki shouted. Of course, only Destiny could hear her critizim.

"My best friend," Destiny replied.

"Oh," Jessica lowered her head. She seemed stricken.

Destiny walked from the doorway and to Jessica. "What is it?" She asked.

"Well," Jessica said. "I was hoping-What school is your friend?"

She was about to say something else, Destiny noted. "Primary school Ice and secondary Life."

Jessica groaned. "Ice and Life?" She whined. "Those are the two worst schools in the whole dang cycle! The only WORSE combanation of schools is primary school Life and secondary Ice!"

_Agreed. You're actually smart in that subject,_ Nikki complemented.

"You take Esmee and Alexis well," Destiny pointed out. "If you can take them, you can handle meeting Sophia."

Jessica sighed. "I guess you're right," She finally admitted. "I'll meet her."

"And be a good sport," Destiny reminded her, slapping her on the arm gently.

_But I won't,_ Nikki taunted.

"Watch it," Jessica said. But then before she could speak, Destiny said, "Wait, have you noticed that the only Descendant we're missing is Balance?"

Jessica nodded. "That's what I was about to say."

"Right," Destiny replied sarcastically. Nikki rolled her eyes.

"It's true!" Jessica persisted. "Do you think we've come across the Descendant?" Then Jessica paled. "Wait," She added. "What about you?"

"Me?" Destiny inquired.

_Who else, idiot?_

Nikki must be grumpy today, Destiny thought. Usually even she isn't this insulting.

"I'm a Descendant of Death," Jessica started. "And apparently so is this Cody Shadowstrider. Jason's the Descendant of Fire. Chris is the Descendant of Myth. Alexis is Life, and Esmee's Ice. Ryan and Natalie are both Storm. Who is your lineage?"

Destiny was too stunned to speak. Her? A Descendant? She was too busy helping the Order of the Spiral and fighting Vladimir that she had never really taken it into consideration. Sure, she had wondered here and there, but she had never tried to track it down or anything of the sort. "I- I don't know," was all she was able to say.

Jessica thought. "Maybe you could be a Descendant of Death," She suggested.

Destiny smirked. "Well, as finding you and Cody, if I were, I think I would have realized that by now."

_Duh._

"A Descendant of Balance?" Jessica continued.

_What do you think, stupid?_ Nikki asked.

"I'm no sorcerer, in case you haven't noticed," Destiny pointed out.

Jessica held her hands in the air innocently. "Hey, just a thought," She said, allowing her arms to drop.

Destiny sighed. "I suppose you're right," She said. "What if I'm of powerful lineage too?"

"I bet you are," Jessica said. "Otherwise, how else would you be caught up in this business?"

Destiny shrugged. "I guess a normal girl stumbles in the paranormal kind of plot," She guessed.

Jessica shook her head. "I don't think so."

* * *

><p>In the Krokotopian Arena, Noah could tell that his new friend Sophia was exhausted after the duel. She walked up to him, and he noticed sweat was beading her forehead. "You're good," She said. "How do you get this talent of magic?"<p>

He shrugged. "My dad had always said I got it from a great grandpa of mine," Noah said.

Sophia tilted her head to the right in confusion. "Had always?" She inquired.

"He died of a fever," Noah explained. "And then shortly he brought my mom down with him."

Sophia was speechless. Noah could tell she hadn't been expecting that. "Sorry," She finally managed.

Noah nodded, then their conversation was cut short, someone had just teleported to him. He turned around to find Antonio. Before his cousin could say anything Noah said, "Save it for later, Antonio!"

Antonio shook his head. "It's not what you think," He said. "A rich Marleybonian miser's son called a meeting with Anthony, Adam, Jose, you and me. We're to come now."

"What's it for?" Noah inquired. Then he squinted his eyes. "Wait, how do I know this isn't a trick of yours?"

"You just have to trust me," Antonio persisted.

"Since when am I supposed to trust you?" Noah countered.

Antonio was speechless. Finally he just said, "Fine, I give up. Not my fault if you miss it."

"Not my fault if you get in trouble,"

Then suddenly myth marks appeared behind Antonio. Someone teleported to him. Adam came from behind. "Hurry," He said. "You don't want to miss it! Jose and Anthony are already there, I'll bet they're wondering where we are!"

If Adam was speaking about it, it might be true, Noah thought. Antonio shot Noah a "Take it or leave it" look. Noah sighed. "Alright, I'll come."

Adam teleported away, with Antonio following him. Noah turned to look at Sophia, waved goodbye, and teleported to Antonio.

Apparently they were all inside a Marleybonian mansion. Noah looked around. The walls, ceilings and floors were completely draped in black, with some bits of blood red here and there. Noah looked to Antonio. "This is where we're meeting the guy?"

Antonio nodded. "I think they call this Thorn Manor," Anthony said before Antonio could say further more.

Then suddenly huge metal doors painted red opened up. Out came three necromancers, two boys and a girl. One boy appeared to have grandmaster clothing on, with long black hair and blue eyes. To his left was the other boy in a black robe with Storm markings, a black Mooshu hat, and a Grizzlehiem staff. It was then when Noah noticed a sprite next to him. Then his attention diverted to the girl on the grandmaster's right. He reconized her as the girl he saw in Olde Town.

The grandmaster grinned. "Thank you for coming," He greeted. He looked around the five. "I see you may be wondering who I am,"

"Very true," Jose pointed out.

The grandmaster looked at Jose for a couple of seconds, then shrugged and continued. "Anyways, my name is Vladimir Thorn Jr., son of the Marleybonian ambassador Vladimir Thorn Sr. These," He said, guestering to the black-haired girl and blue-haired boy, "Are Neela Waterpetal and Cody Shadowstrider, my friends."

"What about the sprite over there?" Anthony asked.

The sprite chirped something ununderstandable.

"This is Lily, or so I am told," Vladimir said. "Cody claims to have found her along Unicorn Way and says that she said that one of her bitter rivals are part of a group of enemies. And that's where I am getting to.

"You see," Vladimir continued. "Cody, Neela and myself are trying to achieve a certain goal. But, however, there is a band of nine people trying to stop us. They call themselves the Order of the Spiral."

"So what does this have to do with us?" Antonio questioned.

"I would hope that you might join us in this cause," Vladimir said. "To support us and to help us defeat the Order of the Spiral. We will also pay you."  
>This got everyone but Noah interested. "How much?" Adam asked.<p>

"10,000 gold now, each, and for every month you stay by us it is another 10,000." Vladimir said.

"How can you give away that much?" Jose asked, dumbfounded.

Vladimir shrugged. "My dad's rich," He said.

"Lucky," Jose whined.

"So are you in or are you out?" Vladimir persisted.

"In!" Adam said.

"For this amount of gold?" Anthony asked. "Definitely!"

"Sure," Jose said.

"Sounds good," Antonio replied.

Vladimir grinned wickedly. He turned to Noah. "You?" He asked.

Noah was about to say he was in for it, but then hesitated. Sure, the pay was good, excellent, in fact. But there was something about the three of them that just didn't seem right. Noah finally said, "You mentioned that there are people in which you are working against. Who are they?"

"You don't trust me," Vladimir reasoned.

"I just need to confirm who is good and who is bad," Noah said. "You can't fight if you don't know who your enemy is."

Vladimir considered this. "Very good," He said. "That is another option we need to consider."

"And what if this other team is good?" Noah questioned.

"To confirm your alligences," Vladimir offered. "How about I give a description of these opponents."

"That would make me trust you a lot more," Noah accepted.

"There are seven people to the organization of the Order of the Spiral," Vladimir said. "First off, the leader is Jason Stormflame. He is a master pyromancer, he is very near grandmaster. He has blue eyes, long brown hair, kind of tan skin. He used to be one of my best friends, till he turned on me. The second-in-command is the nuisance Ryan Stormcaster. He is an adept diviner, and sister of another member called Natalie Goldenflame, another diviner, magus. They both have colored skin, and Ryan has purple hair and eyes. Natalie has long white hair and gray eyes. Alone, which they rarely are, these two can be dealt with, but together, they are almost undefeatable.

"And the luitenant," Vladimir was shaking his head. "Destiny Seagem. She's a journeyman necromancer very close to adeptdom. She would have been very useful on our side. But no. She is not to be messed with at all. She may be only third in command, and lowest in rank, but she's most promising out of all of them. She look a lot like Neela over here, black hair usually in a ponytail, green eyes, pale skin. She has a relative on their side, Esmee Lionblood. Esmee is an adept thautamerge. She has blue eyes and long auburn hair. She may seem like a weakling, being Ice, but don't underestimate her. I'm sure she can beat most of you no sweat.

"Next," Vladimir continued. "Is a magus conjurer called Chris Soulhunter. Like Jason, he used to be a dear friend of mine, until he turned. He has short blonde hair and a combo of gray and black for his eyes, like Cody. There's also Alexis Lifestone, an adept theurgist. She can be twice as dangerous because she can heal herself. She has kind of tan skin, green eyes, and green hair usually wrapped into a ponytail. You can't really tell her hair because she keeps it shrouded in a Grizzleheim hood. She also wears Grizzleheim themed apparel. She is usually sweet and gentle, but don't be fooled.

"The last two," Vladimir said. "One of those is a girl necromancer in which I have barely seen and do not really know about. I think I heard Destiny call her Jessica. Don't know her last name, if she has one. She has blue eyes and long dark brown hair, and wears black and red Mooshu attire. She looked to be in late magusdom. Don't know her characteristics, but if she's on the Order, then she's dangerous. The last one you'd totally underestimate for size. The last member is a sprite. A more- deformed- sprite. Black hair, pale skin, red eyes, purple dress and books, I think her name was Nikki or something."

Noah heard the sprite chirp something inunderstandable.

"Anyways," Vladimir said. "You can never understand sprites, so I never know what she's saying. I'm sure that its not very good. She usually uses Destiny as some sort of shield. Nikki just seems to hang with her. Wherever Destiny goes, Nikki comes, it seems." Vladimir turned to Noah. "Now have you made up your mind?"

Before Noah could say anything, Antonio said, "Really? They're mostly adepts! We can take them down, I'm sure of it!"

Vladimir shook his head. "You don't understand," He said. "They may come in small ranks, without the strongest spells, but their tactics, cunning, and courage is equal to or over a grandmasters!"

Antonio didn't seem convinced. "They don't seem hard at all!" He persisted. "Why, I think they're just as easy to take down as that eleven-year-old over there!" He refereed to the necromancer called Cody.

"Shut up," Cody threatened calmly.

"Make me," Antonio challenged.

Cody grinned. "All right, I've got no problem with that," He said. Cody took out of what Noah recognized as Ashitaka's Staff of Intent, and used Super Nova on Antonio, an Ice type attack.

Antonio smirked. "Is that all you got?" He scoffed.

"I've got a lot more," Cody dramatically walked to Antonio.

"Cody, don't-" Vladimir tried to warn.

But it was too late. Cody had already used wraith on Antonio, who tried to meekly defend himself with a death shield. The wraith already turned back to Cody to grant him health. Cody quickly used Stormzilla before Antonio could finish his spell, who tried to run from the dinosaur. Antonio quickly attempted a seraph, but because he was concentrating on the heat of the moment instead of the spell, it fizzled. After the stormzilla was done with Antonio, Cody himself charged Antonio and kicked him in the stomach, causing Antonio to fall to the floor.

Antonio's friends tried to help him, but Cody swiftly turned around and casted a spell unrecognizable to Noah. It seemed to be a mutated form of meteor strike, only the meteors and everything that was supposed to be a fiery red was pitch black. It affected Adam, Anthony and Jose so they wouldn't try to help Antonio anymore.

Noah, however, had a different point of view of the fight. Noah was laughing so hard he could barely breathe. After all this time of Antonio beating him up, accusing him of various things, everything he did, it seemed to be coming back to get the theurgist. He could definitely use this against Antonio whenever he tried to do something to him! Through it all, Antonio was glaring at him as Noah laughed.

Cody continued to beat up Antonio. He punched Antonio in the face, kicked him in the shin, then used the end of his staff to knock the air out of Antonio. Then Cody pinned Antonio's arms and legs to the ground. Before Cody could make it for the kill, Neela finally took action and rushed to the fight. At first, she tried to separate them using her hands, then unsheathed her sword and poked Cody back with the hilt. As she did, Neela yelled, "STOP!"

Cody was still breathing heavily and tried to charge Antonio once more, but Neela stopped him. Breathing hard, Neela said, "You can't beat up Antonio, Cody!"

"Oh yeah?" Cody challenged. "I just did!"

"But not anymore!" Neela scolded. Then she seemed to relax a little. "Look, Antonio accepted our offer, so apparently you're going to have to learn to live with him. And that doesn't include beating him up!"

Cody grunted and turned away. But before he turned away, he quickly rushed to Antonio and grabbed the front of his robe, leaning his face in close to Antonio's so their noses were touching. "Listen up, and listen up fast," Cody said. "You call me eleven-year-old, weak, or anything whatsoever of the sort ever again I will _own_ you with triple of the helping you just got!" Cody leaned his face ever so closer, which had kind of seemed impossible to Noah, considering the fact that they were already practically touching. "Is that clear?"

Antonio hurriedly nodded.

Cody forcefully let go of his robe, gritting his teeth as he joined Vladimir and Neela once again. Vladimir dismissed the fight and turned to Noah. "So," He said. "Are you in or are you out?"


	9. Part 8 Sophia's Shard Part 2

**A/N: So this chapter is late... again... hehe... sorry about that...**

**Well, at least it wasn't as big a wait as last time. I'm trying to get chapters out as fast as I can now, because after this chapter, things will start to get very good. **

**Thank you SportzDawg and fanficreader137!**

* * *

><p><em>The Necromancer's Matter Part 8: Sophia's Shard (Part 2)<em>

A thautamerge strolled down Ravenwood, returning home from his Ice lesson. Then he spotted two boys looking suspisious. One appeared to be a diviner in purple and white Mooshu clothing, with short brown hair. The thautamerge couldn't see his eyes. To the diviner's left was a conjurer in Dragonspyre robes with long yellow hair.

"What do you think of the deal?" A voice said. It seemed to be coming from the conjurer.

"I like the fact that he's gonna give us 10,000 gold each month!" The diviner said. As he said it, something seemed to drop from his pouch. The duo didn't seem to notice that it had dropped.

"Still," The conjurer said. "I can't believe that Noah passed Vladimir up! I had always known that he was an idiot, but not that idiotic!"

"He didn't really pass him up," The diviner corrected. "He just said he needed to speak with the Order of the Spiral whatchamacallit."

"Which is kind of passing him up," The conjurer supported.

"Actually Adam," The diviner said. "I do kind of have a bad feeling. But I don't care, the gold is worth it!"

They seemed to be walking away now, considering the fact that they were now harder to hear. The thautamerge rushed to the item they dropped. He observed it carefully. It was a tiny thing- like a shard to something. It was around two inches long but not very wide. It was purple and seemed to be charging with energy, and the energy appeared to be lightning. The thautamerge yelled after them, "Hey! You dropped this!"

But the duo didn't seem to hear. They were either too far away to hear or too absorbed in their conversation.

_I guess I'll keep it,_ Chris Mythflame thought.

* * *

><p>After Noah teleported away from her, Sophia thought long and hard about the affairs Destiny was having with her shard. Still in the arena, she looked at it again, it was two inches tall in length and another inch in width. It was an ice blue color and there seemed to be little snow falling. She was caught up in observing it until Sophia noticed that someone had teleported to her.<p>

It was Destiny.

She was about to say something until she noticed the shard Sophia had. Then Destiny said, "Yes! You have it!"

"You want this, don't you?" Sophia challenged.

"Not just want it," Destiny corrected. "I need it! You don't know what's at stake!"

"Give me one good reason why I should give this to you," Sophia said.

"It's a long story," Destiny defended.

Sophia was getting ticked off. For the past month or two, Destiny had been hiding something from her, something big. She had to find that out now! "I'm sorry Destiny, but the only way your getting this is if you explain everything to me! And I mean everything!"

Destiny opened her mouth to protest, but then closed it again. Then Sophia saw that she had given in. "Fine, I guess its time you know anyways."

"Um, yeah, it is," Sophia agreeed.

But before Destiny could begin, someone else had teleported to Sophia. He appeared to be a pyromancer, in his late adept. He had blonde hair and blue eyes. "What's up?" Noah asked Sophia.

"One of my other friends is explaining something to me, so I guess you should get out, sorry." Sophia said. Then she leaned her body to face Destiny. "Wait, is it okay if he sticks around?"

"Probably not," Destiny admitted.

"Oh well," Sophia gave in. But before Noah could teleport away, Sophia said, "Wait, Noah, I'd like you to meet one of my friends. Destiny, this is Noah Firewielder. Noah, this is Destiny Seagem."

Noah seemed to freeze. He slowly turned around and gaped at Destiny in awe. "You... you're... you're one of them!" He stammered.

"One of what?" Destiny seemed confused.

"You know what I'm talking about!" Noah persisted. "You fit Vladimir's description! You're a part of the Order of the Spiral!"

"You KNOW?" Sophia yelled at Noah. "Both of you seem to know what's going on, know its time I'm a part of that! You tell me now or else-"

"Honestly, Sophia," Noah interupted. "I don't know either." Noah turned to Destiny. "That's why I was trying to find you guys, the members of the Order of the Spiral thing that Vladimir talked about. I had a feeling that he wasn't telling me everything, even though he gave clear discriptions of you guys. I have a feeling that you guys will explain."

"Explaining sounds good," Sophia pointed out.

Destiny sighed. Now it was double the excitement. But she still didn't know whether to tell them- if she did, it'd possibly put Sophia in danger, and she didn't want that for her best friend. And this Noah person- well, by meeting Vladimir the twelve year old was already endangered. The pressure of to tell or to not to tell was agonizing, as if the Spiral itself would be angry at her no matter what she did or how she reacted.

Her feet shuffled nervously on the tan Mooshu Arena floor as she asked herself- would it?

Well, if it was going to be mad at her no matter if she told or didn't, Destiny may as well. Relieve the pressure- or would it just add more to her if she told? Because again, Sophia's life just might be risked if Destiny did. Noah's already was and Destiny had put her life at stake many times...

But than she remembered- all the times she fought Vladimir, there was something about him- as if his heart wasn't really put into it. Even when he held the knife to Alexis's throat back at Thorn Manor, there was just something in his dark yet bright blue eyes-

Pain? Worry? Unsurity? Unstableness?

Could Vladimir actually have a... a motivation? As if he was doing this only to do something else, like a personal goal?

Well, if Vladimir didn't _want_ to do this... maybe it was okay if she told Sophia. Destiny had too, it was her only choice. Destiny should have known that this was coming sooner or later. She had done her best to push it till later, and she just might have been successful by doing so, but until after the whole brew-ha-ha was over would have been best.

But no turning back. Sophia was demanding an answer- it was written all over her face.

Finally, she said to Sophia, "Do you remember the incident on the day of our orientation? When the necromancer gave the wedgie to the diviner? And I pushed the necromancer down?"

Sophia nodded. "Yeah." Then she put something together. "Wait... Oh yeah! That's the Vladimir guy you're talking of, isn't it?"

Destiny nodded. "Well, it has something to do with him..."

* * *

><p>Adam Soulcrafter and Jose Breeze finally returned to Thorn Manor. It had been a nice walk down Ravenwood, but they were both now anxious to see if Vladimir would now explain things to them as promised. They both had wondered what the little purple piece that Vladimir had given them was. He had left them to guard it, but he didn't tell them what it was.<p>

"What do you suppose it is?" Adam asked.

Jose shrugged. "I don't know. Here, let me get it out..." He looked through his pouch. After five minutes of looking, he said, "Uh-oh."

Adam tilted his head in curiosity. "What's wrong?" Adam asked.

"I can't find the dang thing!" Jose said.

"What're you going to tell Vladimir?" Adam asked, hoping he didn't sound like he was worrying. Worrying was for weaklings, he had always said. Adam had to remain true to his quote.

"Well, he is paying us for our alligences," Jose reasoned. "I guess its best to tell him."

Adam nodded. "You're right." He said. "I bet he'll forgive us."

It was anything but.

"HOW'D YOU LOOSE IT?" Vladimir screamed.

"We don't know!" Jose defended. "We just strolled down Ravenwood and all of a sudden its gone! I'm sorry!"

"No time for sorry!" Vladimir snapped. "Go back to Ravenwood, see if it's there!"

"Actually," Adam stepped in. "I remember overhearing a boy yelling, 'Is this yours?' We thought it was someone elses."

The necromancer didn't seemed too satisfied by Adam's answer, and Vladimir was just about to explode when another person stepped into the scene. "Vladimir, it's not like you go get overworked like this."

Vladimir quickly turned around, prepared to yell his heart out at the person who had just arrived- until he saw that it was Neela.

"Relax," She continued. "Hey, they're rookies. Cut them some slack. That and we have a lot of high-leveled wizards on our side, so even though we have lost it, we'll still be able to beat him or her no sweat." Neela chuckled at her last remark.

Vladimir seemed to cool down a little. A little- Adam noted that Vladimir seemed to have some sort of soft spot for Neela. "Who'd you loose the piece to?" He questioned.

"It looked like an adept thautamerge," Adam said. "But it wasn't this Esmee you spoke of. It was a male." Then he grinned smugly. "And, I remember someone teleporting to him. I think he's called Chris Mythflame."

Vladimir nodded. Then he thought something over. "Wait... why does the name sound familier?"

Then he remembered his first duel with Destiny, he was against her, Natalie, and another thautamerge...

Named Chris.

"Oh no," Vladimir muttered. "Congradulations, thanks to your foolhardyness, we've lost the Storm Shard to the Order of the Spiral!" Then he realized the mistake he made.

"Storm Shard?" Jose asked.

"It's nothing," Vladimir said.

"If its nothing," Jose countered. "Then why are you so upset about it?"

"Based on the performance you just gave," Vladimir said. "It doesn't seem like you or Adam deserve an explaination. The best thing you guys can do is get Anthony and Antonio."

"Why?" Adam asked.

"I need a small, elite team now to track Chris down and steal the shard back. I need those two to prove their worth and loyalty. You've already given a good demonsration."

* * *

><p>It had taken at least a full hour of explaination, telling the story of the First Wizards, the past events, the Blade of Seven story, the questions, it had been hard for Destiny to explain. Finally, all she could say was, "See now why I need that sliver so much?"<p>

Sophia nodded. She held the Ice Shard to Destiny. "Here you go."

Destiny accepted, slipping the shard into her pouch. "Thank you."

"Hey, I have to do it if the chance of the spiral being led by that mad necromancer is weighing down on it." Sophia pointed out.

Destiny smiled. Then she turned to Noah. "Now is the time you need to confirm your side," She pressed onto Noah.

"I think the Order of the Spiral," Noah said. "Mainly because you explained almost everything to me and Vladimir didn't."

Destiny nodded. "Thanks." She now looked back and forth from Sophia to Noah. "So, the time has come for me to ask the both of you, will you become members of the Order of the Spiral?"

Sophia shook her head. "I believe you and all of that, and I know for sure that what you're doing is better then Vladimir, but, I don't want to be caught up in this. I just want to go to school, quest, rise up ranks, just lead a normal life. If you're in a troubling situation, you can definitely call me for backup, and I'm on your side. But I want to be a normal person."

Destiny nodded. "I understand. And you're lucky you had a choice to become involved! Natalie, Ryan, Jason and Chris didn't really give me that option, honestly. Well, I guess they did, but it seemed like I was already in it." Destiny turned back to Noah. "Now, what about you? Are you going to try to lead a normal life like Sophia or are you going to join us?"

Before Noah could respond, Destiny sensed that someone teleported to her. She spun around to see who it was.

It was Chris Mythflame.

* * *

><p>Destiny smiled. "Hey!" She greeted. "Haven't seen you in a while!"<p>

"Nevermind that," Chris said. "There are these three people who're after me!"

"What three people?" Destiny asked.

"A pyromancer, a theurgist and the necromancer we fought!" Chris said. "They're after this!" He pulled out a sleek purple piece that seemed to be trying to contain lightning in it. Then Destiny heard a faint humming noise coming from two different sources; the Ice Shard and what Chris now held in his hand.

Destiny gasped at what Chris held up; she could tell at once that it was the Storm Shard.

"Oh, gosh Chris, I need that!" Destiny begged.

"Oh, helephant!" Chris said. "Why is everyone after it?"

Sophia gasped. "Is that the Storm Shard?"

Destiny nodded. "Indeed."

"Okay, what's the big deal with these Shards?" Chris questioned.

Before Destiny could explain, Vladimir and two other boys she couldn't recongnize arrived. One of the boys had green eyes, long brown hair and tan skin, wearing green robes. He also appeared to have a black eye. The other had long red hair and amber eyes, with pale skin in red Mooshu robes.

Vladimir looked from Chris, to Noah, to Destiny. "Well well," He said. "I see you've met Destiny, Noah." He said.

Noah nodded. "Have you chosen sides yet?" Vladimir questioned.

Noah didn't say anything.

"Do I take that as a yes or a no?" Vladimir asked.

"Take that as 'I'm still thinking over it.'" Noah responded.

Vladimir nodded. He turned to Sophia. "Who do we have here?" He asked, guestering to Sophia.

"No one," Destiny said. "She's no threat."

But before Destiny could finish, Vladimir said, "Ah, I remember you." He grinned. "You're Destiny's friend."

Sophia nodded. "You're the guy who bullied the diviner."

"Hey, he was annoying me." Vladimir defended.

"More like you were annoying him," Sophia countered.

"He was rebelling," Vladimir pointed out.

"Exactly!" Sophia practically shouted.

"Guys, guys, you're both beautiful," Destiny replied sarcastically. "You seem pretty peaceful right now, Vladimir. What's the catch?"

Vladimir grinned. "I need to talk to Chris," He said.

"He knows," Destiny said. "Like you're going to get it from him!"

Vladimir ignored Destiny and turned to Chris. "I need the thing you picked up," He explained.

"Oh, so NOW you're handleing this peacefully?" Chris questioned. "You could have done that long ago before you started attacking me for it!"

"Well, I guess if you're not going to give it to me voluntarily," Vladimir began. "I guess I need to take it from you forcefully."

With that, Vladimir casted a scarecrow at Destiny, Sophia and Chris. Chris and Sophia both countered with Ice Wyvern while Destiny attempted a vampire. Unfortunately, the vampire fizzled. The redhead Destiny didn't recognize casted a phoenix at Sophia, whereas the theurgist with the black eye summoned a minion, then seraph at Destiny. Destiny used a Fire Dragon treaure card, having a pretty good effect on the trio, except the pyromancer, who had a heavy resistance. Sophia made up for that using seraph, and Chris used Sandstorm. Either it was a treasure card, or his secondary was Balance. Then Destiny noticed that Noah was just standing by watching, apparently not knowing who to side with. She could see the sweat heating up on his forehead through the decision. Vladimir used a skeletal pirate on Sophia.

She was out.

Chris rummaged through Life treasure cards, then found a fairy, healing her a little bit. Sophia immediately used Evil Snowman on Vladimir.

Destiny sighed. They weren't getting anywhere with this. They needed the same tactics as she and Esmee had used in Grizzleheim; flee. The Order of the Spiral needed the Storm Shard, she could't risk Vladimir taking it back. She gestured to Chris, Sophia and Noah to flee. They all did, leaving Vladimir, the theurgist, the pyromancer and the Krokotopian Arena behind.

Breathless, Destiny guestered to Chris for the Storm Shard. He hurridly gave it to her. "I don't know what's happening, but you having it seems better then Vladimir," Chris said. He looked around anxiously. "I need to go, I just don't want those three finding me again!" Chris teleported somewhere.

"Well," Sophia said. "He kinda rushed through it, you know what I mean?"

Destiny nodded. "I guess I see his point."

Sophia shrugged. Then she turned to Noah. "Why didn't you help us?" Sophia questioned.

"I was stuck!" Noah defended.

"Wait," Destiny started. "What do you mean, stuck? Did you know the pyromancer and the theurgist?"

Noah nodded. "The theurgist is my cousin, Antonio Lifespear. The pyromancer is his friend, Anthony Spiritwalker."

"But didn't they bully you?" Sophia questioned.

"The offer to join them is still up in the air," Noah said. "They need a confirmation soon."

Then Destiny got an idea. "Hey!" She said. "I know what you should do?"

Right after that, Destiny pulled out her Communication Stone. _You got any more of the stones?_ She wrote.

_Yeah, why?_ Jason wrote.

_I have an idea,_ Destiny began_. But for it I need another one._

_Sure, I'll get one over to you._ Jason immediately teleported. He handed a stone and stick to Destiny. "Why do you need it?" He asked.

"I'm getting to that," Destiny said. She handed the stone and stick to Noah. "Accept Vladimir's offer," Destiny said. "You're going to spy on them, like Neela did with us!"

"How do I contact you?" Noah asked. "I'll get busted for sure!"

"Not with this," Destiny replied. "Use the stick to write on the stone whatever you need to report, and it'll get to me and Jason. The signal that you get the message is if its burning hot."

Noah nodded. "I understand." He started to teleport away before Sophia stopped him. "Wait, just out of curiosity," Sophia began. "You said you inhereted your fire powers from a many-greats-uncle. Do you know who he was?"

Noah nodded again. "Yeah, dad told me." He said. "I think his name was Marcus Dawngem."


	10. Part 9 A Glitch in Time Part 1

**A/N: Here it is, Part 9! I'm finally beginning to come more frequent in posting these things... man, this is going to be one long Part! I'm really excited now- from here on out, things really start to get epic.**

**So thank you fanficreader137 and DeathySophia for reviewing, and enjoy!**

* * *

><p><em>The Necromancer's Matter Part 9: A Glitch in Time (Part 1)<em>

"The newspaper archives are right this way," The wizard library volunteer said.

"Thanks," Destiny said.

Ever since Noah had revealed that Marcus was his great-granddad, she had been researching him, looking for any hints that could be useful. From Noah's knowledge she had learned that Marcus was an only child and had lived until he was sixteen years old. He was a very advanced student that even Dragonspyre Academy was impressed with, and she knew they were strict when it came to students. His academic level was so high that he constantly made newspapers, them saying how great and dedicated he was. She was mainly scanning for any hints of Legendary Wizards activity.

Destiny walked through the archieves hall, scanning the newspapers that were printed when Marcus was alive. Destiny chose a few months worth of newspapers and looked until she found something:

**A New Age of Wizards**

_Recently, there have been some advanced students making their way towards the highest academic achievement possible. There are some very dedicated students in which have made the honor roll so many time in which they have to be reconized for their strong efforts._

Destiny leafed through the biographies for dedicated students until she came across Marcus:

**Marcus Dawngem**  
><em>Marcus is a fellow fire student who has achieved honors since he was seven. His extrodinary ablities for Fire Magic has allowed him to rise up and up until he has gotten to where he is now: at the top of Dragonspyre Academy. "He always studies hard and tries his best," Says his sister, Cassandra Spellfountain, adept thautamerge.<em>

Destiny read on the biography and other newspaper articles until she came across a newspaper with an interesting header:

**Dawngem Fades**

_Fellow wizards, old and young, grandmaster and novice, are now saddened by the shock of the sudden death of Marcus Dawngem, at the age of sixteen. The high-achieving grandmaster fire student was found in his room, lying on the floor, stone dead. His eyes were wide open along with his mouth, but no one has any idea why this sudden tradgedy has taken its toll. "He was just fine the day before," His family claims. "Then all of a sudden, he goes into his room, and he stays there for hours. We call him to dinner, and when he didn't come, we rushed to investigate. And there he was, just dead. We have no idea why all of a sudden, this, this ordeal for us is taking place!"_  
><em>For those who don't know who Marcus is, he was a high-ranked fire student. At novice his professor could see just what Marcus held in store. "He was so bright," Professor Firestone, teacher of Fire, said. "I could instantly tell that he was so capable of many things. It is a great loss to have such a young and brilliant mind lost."<em>  
><em>Marcus reached apprentice soon, then became initiate in a matter of days. In just two months, at the age of nine, Marcus was a grandmaster and unbelievably, still moving. During his lifetime he has achieved countless honors since the age of eight. "I honestly think he had more then the capacity to become a future teacher of Dragonspyre Academy," Shares his friend, Patrick Thundershard, master diviner. "He even tried to create his own spells! Even though we were best buds, I always looked up to him. Even at death, I still do."<em>  
><em>We will all mourn the loss of Marcus Dawngem. Funeral services will be conducted at the Dawngem home, next friday starting at 10:00 am.<em>

Destiny had never realized how much even she was saddened until now. She could tell that everyone had had high expectations of him. Then all of a sudden he was gone. Sighing heavily, she cleaned up the newspaper articles and put them back in place. Destiny picked up her Scavenger's Staff of Sagas and exited the library. She was also now level 23, wore the Initiate's Uniform, was still sticking with the Onyx Studded Boots, and was really proud of her hat, the Animated Tri-Corn. It was a rare item and was no longer sold.

Nikki fluttered up to her. I read most of the article, She said. Until you put them away. _It's kinda sad, isn't it?_

Destiny nodded. "It is indeed,"

_Well, I meant you putting away the articles, actually,_ Nikki admitted.

Destiny glared at Nikki.

_Kidding,_ Nikki muttered. _Take a joke, will you?_

"The death of someone that great isn't a joke," Destiny said as she exited the library.

* * *

><p>Jessica sneaked behind the houses in the Commons as she eyed her target.<p>

Her eyes followed the thautamerge around, and when Sophia stopped at Zeke and Eloise, Jessica closed in a little to hear the adept better.

"What was that again, my dear?" Eloise asked, straining to hear.

"I need a Cardinals Cap, Rouge's Robe and Jester's Slippers," Sophia ordered. "All purple with a dark green trim. Girl kind."

"Your reason to purchase them?" Eloise asked. When Sophia raised an eyebrow, Eloise said, "Sorry dear, a student just asked me to ask why wizards purchased things for a survey. My apologies if I seemed suspisous."

Sophia smiled. "It's okay," She said. "I'm buying the outfit as a birthday present for a friend," Sophia answered.

Eloise turned to another sheet of paper in a notebook and added up the cost total. "That'll be 1980 Gold," She said.

Sophia looked through her pouch for a while as Eloise bagged the robes. When Eloise turned to Sophia again, Sophia had the appropriate amount of gold. She handed the gold to Eloise. "Kinda costly," Sophia admitted. "I only had 2000 gold in there."

"Oh well, it is for a friend," Eloise helped. "It'll be worth the smile."

"Yes, yes it will," Sophia answered. "Thanks Eloise! Nice doing business with you!"

"Have a nice day!" Eloise waved as Sophia skipped away.

Jessica calmly stalked Sophia. Then she calmly reached for her wand and aimed it at her.

Jessica knew that casting spells wasn't tollorated in the Commons. But did Jessica care? No. She didn't.

Going ahead, Jessica tried a Vampire, to start off easy.

Her spell succeeded.

Jessica grinned as the Vampire was set loose.

Life and Ice, especially Ice, would pay for the misery they had afflicted to her.

* * *

><p>The wizards in the Commons, especially novices and apprentices, screamed and ran away from someone or something. Sophia looked around to see what the sudden screaming was about, then she saw the vampire fluttering in the air, delebirately ruining the peace that was meant to be in the Commons. Sophia was surprised when the Vampire went for her.<p>

Sophia took out her new Krokotopian staff, but then realized that if she casted spells along with the necromancer, she would get in trouble, too. She might not even win.

All she could do was run.

So that's what Sophia did.

Sophia ran around the Commons, trying her best to dodge the vampire. Seeing the success, the necromancer began to cast another spell.

Sophia looked around earnestly for help, hoping to spot the administration or some brave students. Unfortunately, there weren't.

Things were in her own hands. She had to act, and act quick.

Then she remembered something that Professor Icetalon (A fat fairy) had said to his students, "When in a tough spot, use the advantage of your surroundings. This is the Ice Wizard's normal specialty."

Use your surroundings.

Right when the necromancer had summoned a skeletal pirate, which lunged for Sophia, the adept rushed through the decision, barely pausing to think.

Sophia jumped headfirst into the lake. The advantage when Ice Wizards swam in water, they could breathe and their eyes wouldn't sting. Then Sophia froze the surface of the lake, trapping herself in the waters.

_Nice work Sophia,_ She complemented herself. _Quick thinking and good defense. You're growing into a successful wizard of Ice._

The encouragement didn't last long, however. The skeletal pirate and vampire were relentless and wouldn't give up. The vampire's claws scratched rapidly at the Ice unsuccessfully. The status didn't discourage him, however. The skeletal used the tip of its sword to puncture and hack away at the surface. It was actually making some progress. Just a few more moments and the barrier would be penetrated.

Just as the shield of Ice was about the break away, a familier voice saved her.

"I heard screaming in the Commons. What's going on?"

All of a sudden the vampire quit raking as did the pirate with his sword. Sophia swam and pressed her face to see who had stopped them.

It was Destiny.

"Jessica, what's going on?" Destiny persisted. Sophia clarified that Jessica was the name of the necromancer.

"Death spells on the loose," Jessica said. True. "I'm trying to get them under control." False.

Sophia took a deep breath and used the her staff to break the Ice herself. The look on Destiny's face was inevitable when she saw Sophia clamor out of the lake. Tired, Sophia melted the sheet of Ice spreading the lake, and the skeletal pirate gave way. The vampire resisted and held his own by taking advantage of the fact that he had wings, but then they were too frail and gave way along with the pirate.

"Sophia?" Destiny asked, unable to hide the shock in her voice. "Wha-what in Merlin's name were you doing in the lake?"

Sophia ignored Destiny's question and said instead, "I've got them under control now." Sophia turned the necromancer called Jessica. "Now, I need answers. Clearly you were the one who attacked me."

"You did WHAT?" Destiny shrieked.

The sprite next to Destiny-Nikki was her name, wasn't it?- chirped something ununderstandable. "No, Nikki, she didn't deserve it!"

Nikki talked back.

"That's your opinion!" Destiny protested. She turned back to Jessica, clearly mad. "Why?"

"I hate Ice and Life," Jessica muttered. "I told you that a long time ago."

"A long time ago was barely two months!" Destiny said. She started to say something, but before she could, Jessica interrupted her, before she had even begun. "A long time in my standards," Jessica said.

"So you hate Ice and Life," Destiny said. "That nowhere means that you can rush into the Commons and just attack someone!" Destiny looked around her. "The Commons is empty because of you! Do you know what this means Jessica? Do you?"

"What?" Jessica snapped.

"Suspension!" Destiny yelled. "And that's getting off EASY! This is worth EXPELLATION! If the administration were to find out about this, which they will, and find the culprit, you will be expelled!"

Jessica stared at Destiny. Finally she said, "Expellation is a risk I'm willing to take to exact my revenge on those schools." She said. Then Jessica turned away from Destiny and Sophia.

When Sophia was sure that Jessica had gone, she nudged Destiny. "It sounded like you knew her," Sophia said.

Destiny nodded. "I do. She's a friend of mine."

Silence had fallen between them. "I'm sorry Destiny," Sophia said, beginning to cry. "I really am!"

Destiny hugged Sophia. "Its not your fault," She soothed. "We all know that Jessica brought this on herself."

* * *

><p>I would like to say that on that certain night, that Destiny had a peaceful and dreamless sleep. But, I can't, seeing how that dream is vital to the story and this part particurally. That, and it just wouldn't make sense to say that she had due to the amount of stress she currently had pressed on her.<p>

After the long day in the library and the stress from the newly erected fight between the two necromancers, Destiny went to bed, after settling Nikki in. As she faded into sleep, she thought of the great loss of Marcus, and hopefully not Jessica.

_Destiny was surrounded by sand.  
><em>

_Krokotopia. She was back at the Oasis.  
><em>

_Before she could open her eyes, she spotted a familier figure.  
><em>

_Balance!  
><em>

_Destiny walked up to him. Balance was smiling. He looked around as if they were sharing a secret and everyone was going to hear it, there was no one around. Then, out of thin air, he pulled out a sword. The steel blade appeared to be attatched to an unusual hilt: It appeared to be made of a dragon's talon.  
><em>

_Balance then turned the sword around and cut himself on the arm. A few drips of blood came seething out of the wound and onto the sand. It seemed to form as a solid.  
><em>

_Balance picked up the now-solid form of the blood up. Destiny turned her attention to the wound for a split second, it was already healed. She figured, because,_

_1) It was a dream_  
><em>2) Destiny figured that those kind of things would happen to a Legendary<em>

_It seemed that Balance was now trying to puncture the solid form of the blood with the sword. It couldn't cut through, it seemed to be inpenitrable, strong._

_Destiny could now hear a rustle in the sand, another boy was here. And above him, the sky seemed to darken, as if night were approaching. The boy pointed to it with his right index finger, and seemed to be giddy, as if he had found it. Then the boy dissolved into sand along with the night sky directly above him, but his giddyness remained._

_But in his place was another boy. He picked something off from the ground. He seemed to be holding ashes. He fashioned the ashes into many things: first a staff, then a book, a stuffed animal, a firecat, and so on until he, like the privious boy, turned into sand, the ashes with it._

_Destiny turned to Balance once more. He stepped closer to the Oasis water and rummaged through it for something, the ripples evidence of it. Finally he pulled out an aqua-colored jewel, water still dripping from it._

She woke up. But not just on instinct: there was a red-hot burning at her hip. She quickly felt around it, and was almost half-surprised that it was the Communication Stone. She peered at it. She wondered if it were Jason or Noah. The message answered for her.

_I finally reached grandmaster!_ Jason said.

_Really?_ Destiny wrote. _That's great! Congradulations, commander. You're the first member of the Order of the Spiral to reach that rank. _

_And not just that,_ He added. _Dragonspyre is thinking of accepting me! _

_Okay, now that's great!_ Destiny said. Then, thinking of the recent event, Destiny wrote,_ But the battle still rages on. _

_Uh oh,_ Jason wrote. _What is it now?  
><em>

_I had a dream,_ Destiny replied._ It's not unlike the one I had in Krokotopia or the one after the mission in Marleybone pointing to Jessica, but a variety of things this time. And guess who's in it? _

_Who?_ Jason inquired.

_Balance.  
><em>

_Oh, gosh._ Jason said. _This is GREAT! It could be leading to the descendant of balance!  
><em>

_Actually,_ Destiny corrected. _Descedants. More then one._

_Nice,_ Jason complemented. Destiny could practically see Jason whistling on the other side of the Communication Stone. _So, what happened first? _

_First off,_ Destiny started. _Balance had this sword appear. It had a steel blade and the hilt was a dragon's claw or talon, however you want to put it. _

_Oh, that's easy,_ Jason wrote. _Either Dragonsword or Dragonblade. _

_That seems about right,_ Destiny approved. _The next one was this; Balance cut himself. Blood came out, then it transformed into a solid. He tried to use the sword to penitrate it, but it seemed kinda, kinda strong. _

_A little harder,_ Jason admitted. _I'm thinking Strongblood.  
><em>

_Okay, these next two are tricky,_ Destiny said. _This boy appeared, and there was night around him, even though the rest of the sky was in the tone of light blue. He was pointing to it and seemed happy that he had spotted it. _  
>There was silence from Jason. That one he had to figure out, apparently. Finally the stone burned. <em>Keywords are night and finder?<em> He tried.

_You're good at this,_ Destiny said. _But, there's something familier about the last two names.  
><em>

_Nightfinder and Strongblood? _

_Yeah,_ Destiny said. _Where have I heard those two before? _

_Once you mention it,_ Jason said. _I think I've heard them before, too. But this isn't a trip to memoryland, if there's such a place. Is there any more of them?_

_Yes,_ Destiny wrote. _The next one is when a boy picked up ash and molded it into a variety of items. _

_You said that that this would be hard,_ Jason pointed out. _That's easy! Ashwielder, no duh.  
><em>

_Okay, there's one more_, Destiny replied. _Balance kneeled down and picked up this jewel from the Oasis lake. _

There was no reply from Jason for at least three minutes. _That could mean a whole bunch of last names. But one of them, oh gosh._

_What's one of the last names?_ Destiny questioned.

_Um, one of the options is Seagem._


	11. Part 9 A Glitch in Time Part 2

**A/N: Here I am, again! My chapters are getting more frequent, hopefully- that's because I want to post these chapters quickly so I can get around to posting TNMII on here. And man, from the looks of it, it looks like no one's reading this thing because I've already posted all the chapters on Central, lolz. XD**

**Anyways, thank you fanficreader137 and DeathySophia!**

* * *

><p><em>The Necromancer's Matter, Part 9; A Glitch in Time (Part 2)<em>

Jason and Destiny both looked around them: They had gathered all the members of the Order of the Spiral at Destiny's cottage. The members were Jason, herself, Ryan Stormcaster, a diviner in his early magus, his sister, Natalie Goldenflame, a diviner, like her brother, who just turned level 40, Destiny's cousin Esmee Lionblood, an adept thautamerge very close to magus, Chris Soulhunter, a master conjurer, Alexis Lifestone, a theurgist who just turned magus, Jessica, a necromancer in her middle magus, and Nikki, an exiled sprite princess.

"Destiny here has just had another prophaphectic dream," Jason started out. "They concern the matter of the descendants of Balance."

Alexis gasped. "The cycle is almost complete!"

"Awesome," Esmee added. "But who are they?"

"Yeah," Ryan joined in.

"I'm getting there, I'm getting there," Jason tried to calm the members down. "The last names we interpreted were, in order: Dragonsword or Dragonblade; Strongblood; Nightfinder; Ashwielder and, the last one could mean lots of things but, one of the options is," Jason looked at Destiny. "Seagem."

Instantly all heads swivled towards Destiny. "Knew it!" Jessica said at last, pumping her fist in the air in triumph. Soon the stares were passed on to Jessica, who then blushed. "We had a talk in the Bazaar," She admitted. Shortly, Jessica realized her mistake as she remembered the event that had taken place the day before. "Not that it matters," Jessica grumbled, sinking into her seat. "There are four others anyways."

As Jessica said this, the Stone burned hot. Destiny quickly pulled it out and read, _Guys, this is Noah. Urgent! Vladimir, Neela, Cody, Antonio and Anthony are coming to raid your base!_

_It's my house, for crying out loud!_ Destiny wrote. _How do they get access?__  
><em>

_Apparently Vladimir has this sort of system where he can hack the security system of houses,_ Noah explained. _He fabricates house keys, equips the house, and you get the picture for now.__  
><em>

_I guess that's how Neela raided one of the times before_, Destiny guessed. As she was writing, she yelled, "Guys! Prepare your wands and spell deck! Noah has warned of an ambush coming shortly!" Destiny readied her staff.

"How shortly?" Natalie asked, urgency clearly audible in her voice.

"A few minutes shortly! Hurry!" Before she even finished saying that, almost all of the members were readied for battle.

_Quickly prepare,_ Noah warned. _They've already left the manor!_

Before Noah could even finish, the spiral door swiveled open to let out a leprechaun aiming for Jason. But something was unusual about the leprechaun:

It was black. It seemed like a mutated, twisted form of the move. Death Leprechaun, Destiny named.

Destiny swiftly wrote Noah back. _Hold on,_ she said. _They're already here!__  
><em>

_Wow, they're quicker than I thought!_ Noah wrote. _Good luck holding them off._

Nikki killed the death leprechaun with one of her own. But shortly she was distracted by a sudden sight. A sight of a fellow sprite, not cursed like Nikki. She looked like any normal sprite, but she knew the face all too well.

_LADY LILY?_ Nikki yelled.

The sprite smiled. _Nice to see you too,_ She said.

_YOU!_ Nikki shouted again as her rival seemed perfectly calm, contempt, even. _You're the one who tattled on me, rusulting in my banishment! You're the one who made me fend for myself! You're the one who just charged into my life and made most of it a despicable misery! A living torture!  
><em>

_Of course_, Lily reasoned. _Why shouldn't I? You're my rival, after all.  
><em>

_Enough of this fancy talk!_ Nikki sneered. _We're settling this NOW!_

Lily grinned evilly. _Gladly._

Natalie attempted a Kracken at Vladimir, who had just emerged. Neela followed with a wraith, the wraith aimed for Jessica. She tried to cast a Kracken to defend herself, but it fizzled. The Adept life wizard (Destiny thought it was Antonio) summoned a Seraph at Alexis, which didn't do too much damage due to her resistance and a life shield. The pyromancer, Anthony, aimed his merciless helephant at Esmee, who conjured a fire shield in order to save herself. She flung it at the firey elephant then quickly ran away. Anthony followed. "Sissy!" He cried out.

That was enough for Esmee.

"SISSY?" She shrieked. She cast an Ice Wyvern, Evil Snowman, and Blizzard in that order, all aimed for Anthony. He gulped as he tried to scramble away.

Esmee nodded her approval. She folded her arms in satisfaction, despite the raging battle. "Run. Run, run, run while you can, sissy," She said, copying the pyromancer.

Meanwhile, Ryan and Natalie were teaming up against Neela. Neela used Doom and Gloom while Ryan brought up a colossus while a spell of Natalie's fizzled.

As the colussus boomed after Neela, she yelled to Ryan, "I thought you were a magus diviner, not a master thautamerge!"

Ryan sighed in exasperation. "Treasure cards, nitwit." He said.

"Oh. I knew that." Neela said calmly despite avoiding the colossus trying to kill her.

"Right," Ryan said sarcastically while Natalie summoned lightning bats.

Jason, Chris and Jessica were ganging up against Vladimir. Jessica attempted a skeletal pirate, not doing much damage due to Vladimir's resistance. Chris tried humongofrog, his smelly belch sticking all over Vladimir.

Vladimir looked down at himself, as if he couldn't believe the slimey goo all over him. "Sick," He muttered.

"I didn't know boys were also concerned about their looks," Jessica said. "Most boys aren't. Wait, does this mean you're... you're a GIRL?"

"WHAT?" Vladimir shrieked. His rage brought up a wraith, skeletal pirate and a...

Firecat?

No, it wasn't a firecat. Well, it kinda was. It was a rather twisted form of it, like a firecat, only the cat was black. Black cat? Jessica guessed. Her confusion brought her off-guard, and Vladimir quickly used that chance to summon a Kracken.

"Treasure card?" Jessica asked.

Jason shook his head as he tried a meteor strike. It fizzled, due to the lack of concentration. "No, his secondary is Storm," He yelled over the commotion, the sound of spells in the air. "When we were little, we agreed to choose the same secondary. We both chose Storm. Chris wanted to train in Life badly, though."

"Don't push it," Chris warned, speaking up for the first time in ages.

As for the sprites, they were furiously locked in combat. Nikki cast a Doom and Gloom to cut off Lily's constant healing spells' percentage by approximatively half. It would have the same effect on Nikki, but she didn't care. All she cared about was to teach that wicked sprite a lesson- one she'd never forget.

But Lily seemed to have ideas of her own. She unexpectedly brought a storm serpent to life, the lightning bolt from the serpent's tail electrocuting Nikki a bit. Thankfully not enough to be fatal.

Perhaps Nikki should bring up a trick or two of her own. She casted a fireblade and summoned a basic firecat shortly, cheating. Before Lily was able to recover from this, Nikki cheated yet again and brought up a frost beetle.

Nikki cast spell after spell, her rival putting up enough resistance to keep herself going forward.

Time to make things right. Lily and Nikki... they were _destined_ to be rivals.

Nikki was taken aback when she saw Lily decided to suddenly to change tactics. Instead of casting another spell, Lily quickly cut Nikki off when she flew at Nikki, headfirst, at amazing speed. When Lily rammed into Nikki, Nikki wasn't able to think when Lily quickly punched her followed by a roundhouse kick.

If Lily wanted to get physical... then they'd get physical, all right.

In another part of the cottage, Destiny and Alexis were teaming up against Cody and Antonio. For some reason, Cody kept giving Antonio glares. Glares that seemed to read stuff like: Don't try anything or, I will kill you afterwards. She was confused, seeing how they were supposed to be on the same team.

Alexis casted a seraph at Cody while Destiny took the theurgist with a skeletal pirate. Then Destiny summoned a minion.

Cody looked at Destiny suspisiously. "You don't learn that till you're thirty!" He said as he used a wraith.

"Hat," Destiny reminded as the minion attempted a dark sprite at Antonio. Alexis gritted her teeth and decided to go for Antonio instead, drawing a centaur. Despite the resistance, it did heavy damage. But Antonio quickly used Satyr on himself, so the centaur hadn't really done much good. Destiny decided to try to make up for it with a skeletal pirate at Antonio whereas Alexis used Seraph once more on Cody, who easily defended himself with a Life shield, then summoning a minotaur at Alexis. While he did that, Destiny saw a glint of sparkling green hanging from Antonio's belt. Thinking that she knew what it could be, she used another skeletal pirate while the minion used a simple ghoul. Destiny manervered easily through the battle and too the pouch, and quickly drew her athame and cut off the pouch from Antonio's belt.

That's when Antonio spun around as Destiny ran away. "Hey!" He ran after her, trying to regain his stolen items, therefore leaving Cody and Alexis to duel each other. Antonio tailed after Destiny into the cottage.

Antonio looked around. Where was she?

Destiny was hiding behind her Wraith statue that she had recieved from Baron Mordecai. She opened the pouch, at the same time keeping an eye on Antonio, who was searching the house. She rummaged through a few rings and chokers, an athame, and a robe he had forgotten to sell before she found what she was looking for.

It was green, and in height it was no more then an inch long, but in width it had to be at least four inches. It was a dark green, and tiny little leaves seemed to fall as if it were fall and it were falling from a tree within. She could feel and see the power inside it.

The Life Shard.

"Yes," Destiny whispered in triumph. She quickly stuffed the Life Shard into her pouch, then put the rings chockers, athame and robe back in the pouch. She sealed it, and checked on Antonio. He was upstairs, looked behind the dresser. Destiny quickly took advantage of the situation and ran out of the house. But before she did that, she turned around and called after him, "You can keep it!", thrusting the pouch on the floor as she ran out to join the fight again.

She at first headed to join Alexis, but it seemed that the theurgist was doing pretty well against Cody, with the help of her healing spells. Esmee seemed like she was handling Anthony. Jessica, Chris and Jason were ganged up against Vladimir. But Ryan and Natalie's spells kept fizzling. She rushed to join the siblings in the fight against Neela. As she used Sunbird against Neela, she leaned in and whispered to Ryan, "I got the Life Shard from Antonio!"

"Can I see it?" Ryan whispered back. Destiny handed him the shard.

After he was done observing it (And casting storm spells at the same time) he asked, "Didn't you say that you had the Storm Shard also?"

Destiny nodded. She rummaged through her pouch as she tried a vampire that fizzled. She got out the thin piece and handed it to Ryan. Ryan was now glancing back and forth between the two shards, Life in his left palm, Storm in his other. He had dropped his clockwork staff. Slowly, he brought both of the pieces together. Soon they were no more then five inches apart from each other, and Neela had spotted both of the shards.

"Hey!" She shouted, lunging for Ryan. Natalie quickly defended her brother by running in front of him and used a Kracken, followed quickly by a banshee, treasure card.

But Neela wasn't the only one who had spotted Ryan slowly bringing the shards together. Jason had noticed Ryan's actions as he summoned a fire dragon, but as soon as he saw him, he ran from the fight and to Ryan.

"Wait, Don't!" He cried.

But he was too late. Ryan had brought the shards close enough together that lightning kept being exchanged rapidly between the two until a purple portal appeared behind Ryan, swirling as a vortex, and Ryan then fell through the portal.

"Ryan!" Destiny yelled. Her yell had brought Natalie to attention, who tried to come but was delayed by a scarecrow. Natalie finally couldn't handle it all... the fighting, the stress, the heat of the moment...

Natalie fell into the depths of unconscienceness.

Destiny quickly asserted the situation of Natalie. Destiny wanted to wake Natalie, but Ryan was in even more trouble. If she turned to Ryan, Natalie could recover. If she turned to Natalie... fat chance Ryan would.

Destiny leaned down and soon linked hands with Ryan, and looked down. It seemed to be like a bottomless pit. Destiny struggled to keep her weight balanced, but was on the verge of falling in.

Destiny turned her attention to Jason. "Jason!" She yelled.

Jason ran over, trying to help her regain her balance. He looked down and saw Ryan. "If you connect two shards outside of the forge in which it originiated from, bad things happen!" He yelled after Ryan.

"Yeah, I think I've gotten that message!" Ryan yelled. "Where's Natalie?"

Natalie.

Jason had the same instinct. She was still unconsious. Jason looked around. "Alexis!" He yelled. "Someone needs your attention!"

Alexis peered from the seraph she had casted then ran over to Natalie. "What happened?" She asked.

"I don't know, I guess that battle was too much for her!" Jason yelled. "Try to bring her back to consiousness!"

"You think I don't know that?" Alexis yelled, tending to Natalie.

Meanwhile, Destiny couldn't help it. She would have fallen if not for Jason.

"We're both slipping!" Destiny yelled.

"Hold on!" Jason said. "Just don't let go!"

"Why in the spiral would I let go?" Ryan hollered after them.

The vortex had now clasped everyone's attention, except Alexis and Natalie. Chris rushed over to the trio trying to handle the vortex. "Why is this here?" He yelled.

"Ryan allowed the Life and Storm Shards to meet!" Jason replied.

"Oh, heck," Chris muttered. "I don't think I can be enough for the three of you to hold on, I'll try to find something!" Chris dashed off.

Jason was now using full power of all of his muscles to hold on to Ryan and Destiny. But then he saw a shadow loom over him.

It was Cody. "To heck with it," He muttered. He pushed Jason into the vortex.

Both Antonio and Anthony came over to investigate when they heard the three yells. Antonio looked to Cody. "What'd you do?"

"Why should you care?" Cody snarled. "Get away before I break your nose!" Then, grinning smugly, he added, "And you know how badly I can make things hurt." Then Cody got an idea. "Actually, I want to get rid of YOU too!"

Before Antonio could react, Cody went behind him and pushed him into the vortex. "Why'd you do that?" Anthony questioned, joining Cody by leaning in.

"Simple," Cody shrugged. "I don't like theurgists."

"Clearly," Anthony muttered.

But as Anthony had said it, both him and Cody had leaned too far in.

So far that they accidentally fell in. Then, as if deciding that they were enough, the vortex closed.

Jessica watched this happen. Breathing heavily, she decided, "We have to flee! Hurry before we're overrun!"

Chris nodded. "Esmee!" He called. "We have to go!"

Esmee looked around. "Where's Destiny and Jason and Ryan?" She asked.

"They fell in some kind of vortex!" Chris yelled. "We need to go." Then he turned to Alexis. "Come on, we need to flee now!"

"But what about Natalie?" Alexis shouted back. "She still hasn't recovered."

Chris didn't say anything for a minute. Finally, he decided, "We have no time! I'm sure she'll find her way back!"

"We can't leave without her!" Alexis refused.

"Alexis, if we don't go now, more then one person will be unconscious! Do you want that?" Chris asked.

Alexis was too stunned to speak. Finally, she said, "No,"

"Then lets go!" Chris made a hurrying motion with his hand.

"Can't we just take her with us?" Alexis inquired.

Chris shook his head. "She has to teleport on her will! Now hurry! We have to go I promise we'll come for her later!"

Alexis reluctantly joined them.


	12. Part 9 A Glitch in Time Part 3

_The Necromancer's Matter, Part 9; A Glitch in Time (Part 3)_

"Ugh," Ryan chorused, clutching his head.

He sat up groggily and rubbed his eyes. Ryan looked around. Where was everyone?

Apparently Ryan was back in Mooshu, outside at the Jade Palace.

"Glad to see you're awake," A familier voice behind him said.

Ryan stood up and turned around. It was Jason. "How did we end up in Mooshu?" Ryan asked, baffled.

"I don't know," Jason wondered. "I guess we just ended up here when we woke up."

"Huh," Ryan said. Then he noticed something that hadn't been in the Jade Palace before: the Jade Palace. The actual palace- it looked seemingly... renovated.

"I don't remember the palace being like that," Ryan commented.

"What being what?" Jason asked.

"That," Ryan answered, pointing to the newly built palace.

Jason squinted and saw it. "I don't remember either," He said.

Then the duo saw a goat monk heading their way. "Excuse me," Ryan said. "I don't remember that palace being renovated. When was it built?"

"Only thirty years ago," The monk replied.

"Oh, you mean 452 A.C.?" Jason asked. A.C. stood for After Creation, the creation referring to after Ravenwood was built.

The monk looked at them as if they had both grown tails. "No, I mean 532 A.C.," The monk finally said.

"But that's ten years into the future!" Ryan protested.

"No, its in the past," The monk persisted.

Jason stared at the monk quizicly. "What year is it now?" He asked the monk.

"Don't be silly," The monk said. "Sheesh, pretending that 498 is in the future and not knowing what year it is. What're you trying to do?"

"We're trying to find out what year it is!" Jason said, angry.

"Fine, fine, no need to get mad," The monk soothed. "562 A.C."

Ryan and Jason looked at each other with the same shocked expression. They knew what had happened.

They were in the future.

"Now, if you would please excuse me, I'd best be on my way," The monk said. He traveled into Hametsu Village.

There was a silence between Ryan and Jason for a couple of moments. Finally Jason burst. "What have you done?" He yelled.

"What have I done?" Ryan asked, confused.

"When you fuse two Shards together outside of the forge," Jason explained. "THIS happens! How're we gonna get out now?"

"Fuse them again?" Ryan suggested, bringing out the Storm Shard.

"No, don't!" Jason warned. "If we do that again, who knows how much trouble its going to be! Congraduations Ryan, you've got us trapped in time! We don't even know where the rest of the Order is!"

"Did you say you got trapped in time?"

Jason and Ryan spun around to see a boy in master clothing behind him. He had long dark brown hair, green eyes, tan skin, had a Valkerie hat and another Dragonspyre robe and a grizzlehiem staff. His clothes were a tan-ish orange, so he appeared to be a master sorcerer.

"Nevermind," Jason quickly muttered.

"No, really," The boy persisted. He appeared to be about fourteen. He smiled. "Because I did too."

"You did?" Ryan questioned.

The teenage sorcerer nodded. "My name's Garrett," He said, offering his hand. Both Jason and Ryan took it. "My brothers and sister and I were just minding our own business when all of a sudden we were in a different area. Well, the area was the same, it looked the same, but we could tell it wasn't the right area. We found out we were stuck in time." Garrett's hand did a come along motion. "We've made camp in Ravenwood. Wanna join us?"

"Sure," Ryan and Jason said simontainiously, accepting. They followed Garrett. Then Jason stopped. "Wait, what's your last name?"

"Dragonblade," Garrett said. "I'm Garrett Dragonblade, master sorcerer. What's yours?"

* * *

><p>Jessica had offered for Chris, Alexis and Esmee to stay at her Mooshu house for the night; It was best that they stayed together.<p>

Chris, Alexis and Esmee were also all asleep in a guestroom. In her bedroom though, Jessica was wide awake. She was thinking about the day's events.

The Order of the Spiral had suffered a big loss today. Sure, they had gotten the Life Shard, but that was with Destiny or Ryan. Natalie's whereabouts were unknown. Destiny, Jason and Ryan had fallen into a who-knew-what. And the cottage might have taken some damage. All that remained was herself, Chris, Alexis and Esmee.

What were they going to do now?

Destiny.

The last time they had talked to each other, they had fashioned a new fight. Now there was a radiation of regret surging through Jessica and taking over her whole body.

Jessica sighed and surprised herself by falling asleep.

* * *

><p>"Oh, Cody!" Antonio cursed.<p>

"What?" Cody replied.

"Why'd you have to push me down?" Antonio complained.

"Because I wanted you gone! And if I hadn't been taken down with you, it would have been good riddance!"

"Guys!" Anthony tried to break the theurgist and necromancer up. "What is wrong between the two of you? We're apparently trapped in time and you two are still bickering like two little girls fighting over a doll!"

Cody punched Anthony.

"Guys, do you know what's going on?" A new voice asked.

Cody, Anthony and Antonio stopped the fight and spun around. The person appeared to be a girl around their age with long white hair with maroon eyes. She had dark brown skin and appeared to be a master diviner, with a Mooshu hat and a Dragonspyre robe. Her robes were purple with white trim. She was seated on a dragon mount. "I guess we do," Anthony said.

"From what I've seen, we're trapped in time," Antonio helped.

All Cody said was, "Who're you?"

"Sarai Storm," The diviner said. "I was on the Scotland Yard Roof, as we're on now, then I felt this feeling surge through me. I was in the same place, but I could tell the tiny details, like who was there, that kind of thing, had changed. Now apparently, from what I've seen, I'm in the future!"

"You're lucky," Antonio said. "I just had to experience the thrill of being pushed down a vortex." He glared at Cody, who just shrugged.

"That's how you got here?" Sarai asked.

Cody nodded.

"How do you suppose we return to the present?" Sarai said.

"I have no clue," Anthony said.

"Wait," Sarai said. "Who are you guys?"

"Anthony Spiritwalker, Antonio Lifespear, and Cody Shadowstrider," Anthony informed.

"But which is which?" The diviner persisted.

"I'm Cody Shadowstrider," Cody began. "The pyromancer is Anthony. And the theurgist is an idiot."

"Antonio Lifespear," Antonio corrected by gritting his teeth. He gave an I-swear-I'm-gonna-kill-you-someday-just-wait-for-it look. Cody's glare said in turn, Fat chance, idiot. Antonio surprised the rest of the quartet by demonstrating a low, unearthly growl.

Anthony then ignored the growl and turned his attention back to Sarai. "Maybe we should all team up and look for a way to get out of this kind of time."

Sarai nodded. "You know, as a kid I had always wanted to travel in time," She said. "I had daydreamed of being in it, influencing the past so that the present was better, making revolutions in the future. But now that it's actually happening, all I want to do is return home."

* * *

><p>Destiny awoke leaning on the side of the trunk of Bartleby, facing the Ice school. Groggily, she stood up and looked around as she recalled the events that had just taken place.<p>

She looked around. Where were Jason and Ryan? They had all been pushed into the vortex together, but she couldn't find them anywhere.

Destiny had read in books that normally when people like her fell and went through portals, they went to a different dimension of the spiral or something. But things just appeared how they normally would be. She decided to first look around Wizard City for Jason or Ryan or somebody.

As she was strolling in the Commons, she found the Headmaster's office. The Headmaster! He'd know what to do! Eagerly, Destiny went inside.

She had been expected to find a lean man with red hair and beard. But instead, what she found was an old man with a blue monicle with Merlin clothing on. Students were swarming him.

"Woah," Destiny muttered. "Someone seems to have aged in the past year,"

But then she noticed the sky-blue eyes.

Wait... Merle?

"Merle?" She repeated out loud. She walked over to the old man. "Is that you?"

The old man turned around. "Of course its me," He said. "Why wouldn't it?"

"Its... its just that, the last time I saw you you were a baby, for crying out loud!" Destiny said.

"Baby?" Merle said. "Young wizard, I'm afraid you must be mistaken. I was born in 481. I'm eighty-one years old, how could you have seen me as a baby?"

Just as Destiny was about to reply, someone said, "Destiny?"

She spun around, hoping that the voice belonged to someone she knew. It didn't. It belonged to a girl looking around twelve years old with short red hair and blue eyes. She looked to be an apprentice pyromancer, judging from the way she was dressed.

"Who are you?" Destiny asked the apprentice.

The pyromancer seemed stunned. "It's me," She said. "You know, Fallon Shadowgem?" It sounded more like a question then an answer. Fallon studied Destiny. "And why're you dressed like an adept?"

"Because I am one!" Destiny said. This Fallon chick was insane.

Fallon shook her head. "No, you're a master." Then a thautamerge arrived behind Fallon. She had light brown skin, long black hair that seemed jagged at the end and was wearing blue and white Krokotopian clothes. She looked to be around nine. "Hi, Fallon! Hi Destiny!" The Ice wizard chimed.

"Somethings wrong with Destiny Vanessa," Fallon said. "And I don't know why." Fallon made a come on guester. "Come on Vanessa, lets do some questing with Alric." With that Fallon and Vanessa left.

Destiny was baffled. Fallon, Vanessa, maybe this Alric person, all seemed to know her. They said she was a master! How did they know her? What was wrong with them? Fallon especially. She needed a good place to think things through.

The Death School.

Destiny exited the Headmaster's-now Merle's- house and back into Ravenwood. She was thinking that things couldn't get much worse until she saw the death school.

Or at least, what was left of it.

Her school had seemed to have been torned from Ravenwood! The death classroom was nowhere to be found, and in the cycle of where it should have been, all that was left was a gaping chasm of remnants of the street floating in the air.

What had happened?

"What're you doing here?" A vaguley familier voice asked behind her.

Destiny turned around to see an apprentice sorcerer with pale skin, blue eyes, and long light brown hair. She could tell that the sorcerer was nine. Destiny remembered seeing her back in the balance school in Krokotopia.

"Hi!" Emma chorused. Then she repeated, "What're you doing here?"

"Trapped in time," Destiny replied. "You?"

Emma nodded. "Same here," Then Emma spotted a boy with very dark skin and purely white clothes, complementing short white hair. He had dark brown eyes and looked to be an initiate. Destiny couldn't decide if he was a necromancer or a sorcerer. He looked to be about eleven.

"Hey, Dylan, come over here!" Emma called. "I've found another one!"

The boy called Dylan soon joined Destiny and Emma. "What's up?" He asked.

"She's trapped in time too!" Emma pointed to Destiny.

Dylan nodded as a sign of understanding. "I see." He said. Dylan gave out his hand. "I'm Dylan Nightfinder."

_Strongblood and Nightfinder._

Emma Strongblood and Dylan Nightfinder.

Of course!

Destiny accepted. "Destiny Seagem," She introduced.

"You should meet our other brothers!" Emma chimed. "We've all made camp! One of our brothers, Garrett, also found a grandmaster pyromancer and a magus diviner."

Destiny gasped. "Jason Stormflame and Ryan Stormcaster?"

"Yeah, how do you know them?" Dylan asked.

"They're both great friends of mine!" Destiny said. "I've been looking for them for a long time!"

"They did mention something about an adept necromancer," Dylan mused. "I guess you could be it. Come on, we camped in the Wizard City Spiral Chamber." The trio hurridly ran down to the spiral chamber.

"You should also meet our three other brothers," Emma pointed out cheerfully as they all went inside the spiral chamber.

Right when they did, Destiny spotted Jason and Ryan. "Jason! Ryan!" She shouted.

They both spun around just in time to see Destiny arrive. "Where were you?" She asked.

"We woke up in Mooshu for some reason," Ryan said.

"What about you?" Jason asked.

"Ravenwood," Destiny said. She turned back to Emma, who was right behind her. "So who are these brothers of yours?" She asked.

"Come on, I'll show you!" Emma said. Emma led Destiny to a boy in tan robes, a Mooshu hat and Dragonspyre robe. He looked to be in his early teens and had purple eyes, long brown hair, and slightly tan skin. "Garrett,"

The sorcerer introduced. "Garrett Dragonblade."

_Dragonblade._

"Now you need to meet Nicholas!" Emma pulled Destiny along before she could say any more to Garrett. Soon she was looking at an eleven-year-old boy with white skin, amber eyes, long light brown hair and was in initiate sorcerer robes. He smiled. "I'm Nicholas Ashwielder," He said.

_Ashwielder._

Before Emma could pull her along again, Destiny introduced herself too. Then she allowed Emma to drag her to the final person. He looked to be the eldest, being around fifteen. He had slightly long black hair and light tan skin. He had kind of purple eyes and wore grandmaster clothing, which were tan and white. He smiled. "My name's Connor," He said. "What's yours?"

"Destiny," She said, offering her hand. Connor took it. "What's your last name?"

Connor sighed in frustration. "I don't like revealing my surname, honestly," He said. "It makes me sound like a wimp with Strongblood and Dragonblade around. Heck, Nightfinder and Ashwielder are more manly then mine! And I'm supposed to be the eldest!"

"I won't laugh," Destiny promised.

"No, people don't normally laugh," Connor explained. "It just makes me look like a sissy."

"It's true," Jason commented. "He hasn't revealed it to me or Ryan yet, either. Don't know why."

"Oh come on," Destiny said. "It can't be that bad. I've seen last names like Lifepetal."

Connor laughed. "Okay, now that's girly!" He said. "Oh fine. It's Seagem."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Just for the record, Connor isn't Destiny's long-lost sibling or anything, in case you're wondering. No, that matter will be dealt with in Part 10. ;)**

**Oh, and Fallon? Well... let's just say that that part was supposed to be referring to the sequel. There is still a sequel, but Fallon nor Vanessa nor Alric is planned for it so far. Maybe in a third one I can put them in... but for now... yeah.**


	13. Part 9 A Glitch in Time Part 4

**A/N: Thanks to fanficreader137 for reviewing!**

**...Yeah, that's all I have to say. :P Enjoy!**

* * *

><p><em><em>The Necromancer's Matter, Part 9: A Glitch in Time (Part 4)<em>  
><em>

Chris woke up Jessica. By splashing water in her face.

"Hey, what was that for?" Jessica protested as she tried to dump the stinging cold liquid off of her, it dropping onto her blankets and clothes, wetting them as well as her face and hair.

"Well, I couldn't wake you up with a dang horn, what else was I supposed to do?" Chris asked. Then Jessica noticed Alexis and Esmee in the backround, laughing. Jessica growled.

"Anyways," Chris said. "Using Communication Stones-"

"Communication Stones?" Jessica cut Chris off.

"You write on special stones and send messages," Chris replied.

"Oh yeah, I remember Destiny and Jason having them," Jessica said. "Wait, you have one too?"

"When Jason first found them, he gave one to me to communicate," Chris said, clearly exasperated. "Anyways, I got word from Jason, Destiny and Ryan."

"Really?" Jessica leaped out of her bed. "What did they say?"

"Get this," Chris started. "They say that they've been trapped in time."

Jessica's hopes dropped by almost a mile. "Is that where the vortex took them?"

"Apparently so." Esmee said, startling Jessica.

"How far or back?" Jessica asked.

"I read over Chris's shoulder as he was messaging Jason," Esmee continued. "Right now its 482 A.C., and there its 562 A.C., so," She cut off purposefully so that Jessica could do the math.

But Alexis did it before her. "That makes it eighty years into the future," She answered. "Almost a whole century!"

Jessica sighed. "Ugh, why do those three always get the good stuff?"

"Maybe its because they're the head of the Order of the Spiral?" Esmee suggested.

"That kind of thing doesn't matter right now," Chris interrupted. "Basically, what we need to focus on is how they're gonna get out."

"Well, what was it caused by?" Jessica asked.

"Ryan put two of the Shards together, I think," Alexis said. "They were the Storm Shard and the Life Shard, weren't they?"

Esmee nodded as an answer to Alexis's question.

"Anyways," Chris said. "Here's another part you'll be interested in. Our spy among the Thorns, Noah Firewielder, has given word that Vladimir and Neela are currently holding Natalie."  
>"I knew we shouldn't have left her," Alexis muttered.<p>

"Where?" Jessica asked.

"My guess would be Thorn Manor," Esmee said. "That's their headquarters. I remember because Destiny was assigned to spy on them once before we found you, disguised as Neela."

"I guess we need to get her, then," Jessica said. Then her face fell. "But what about Ryan, Destiny and Jason?"

"They're smart, they'll be able to find their own way," Chris said. "But we're going to need a plan to rescue Natalie."

"I guess you and I will have to go there and find our way to her, get her, and get out as fast as possible," Jessica said. "Seems good."

"Only one problem," Esmee said. "You left out Alexis and I."

"Exactly," Jessica said. "We don't need you."

"You just don't like Life and Ice, huh?" Alexis asked.

Jessica nodded.

"Well, like it or not Jessica," Chris said. "It's Thorn Manor. We'll need all the help we can get."

* * *

><p>Natalie finally opened her eyes to find herself staring at a stone ceiling. She tried to get up, almost unable.<p>

She looked around. Apparently she was in a kind of prison cell. She tried to sit up again. That's when she realized that her hands were tied behind her. She used the wall for support and finally brought herself to a standing position.

How had she gotten here? Then she remembered Ryan falling in the vortex and she had fainted. She hoped Ryan was okay.

She heard footsteps in the hall and braced for impact, expecting it to be Vladimir or Neela or someone like that. Who really entered was a boy about twelve years old with black clothing on and a hood shrouding his head. A necromancer, most likely.

"Who are you?" Natalie asked.

"My name's Noah Firewielder," He said, pulling the hood down, revealing short blonde hair and blue eyes. "I'm with the Order of the Spiral, so relax." He pulled out an athame and managed to cut through the bonds.

"Thanks," Natalie said, rubbing her wrists. "Man, I've read about people getting tied up in books and stuff, but man, rope really does dig through skin!" She looked around. "You know where the keys are?"

"Sorry, but I don't," Noah said, pulling his hood back up. "I've been looking for them everywhere." Then he grinned smugly. "But, I did manage to find your spellbook and staff."

"Can you go get it?" Natalie inquired.

"Sure," Noah said, hurridly leaving the room.

It was only a few minutes before Noah returned with a Mooshu staff and spellbook with cards littered among the pages. "Here you go," Noah said, handing the equipment to Natalie through the bars. "Now I have to get out of here before anyone realizes you've escaped with my help." Noah hurridly can out.

It was only a matter of minutes before Natalie had casted a Kracken and he helped Natalie destroy the bars and blasted her way out. The Kracken chased people within the manor while Natalie ran the other direction.

_This is good,_ she thought. _Really good. _

Natalie grinned like a madwoman as she ran away and casted spells.

* * *

><p>"How do you think we got here in the first place?" Anthony asked Cody and Antonio.<p>

Antonio shrugged while Cody replied, "I think Ronan or whatever his name is fused the Shards. So all we have to do is find him and track down the Shards and use them to get out of here,"

"How do you think we're going to find these Shards you speak of?" Sarai asked.

"We need to track down someone, or a group, that possesses them," Cody informed. "They'll try to withhold the Shards from us, though, so we're gonna have to fight."

"Why would they withhold them?" Sarai wondered.

"They're bad poeple," Antonio answered. "Simple,"

"Any idea where they're at?" Anthony asked.

"I guess we'll have to search the worlds," Cody said. "Here, Sarai, you patrol Wizard City. If you hear a grandmaster pyromancer, magus diviner, or adept necromancer looking suspsious, attack them. They'll most likely be in a group together."

"Got it," Sarai said, nodding.

"What do I do?" Anthony asked.

"How about you patrol Krokotopia?" Antonio suggested.

"Sure, I guess he'll do that," Cody approved.

"What'll you do, Cody?" Sarai asked.

"I think I'll stay and look in Marleybone," Cody said.

"What about me?" Antonio asked. "Let me guess, I look in Mooshu?"

"Actually," Cody started. "I kinda have other ideas. Marleybone is a big place, so why don't you stay with me and help me look?"

Before Antonio could protest, Sarai said, "Marleybone being a big place... that's true. I think Antonio should stick with Cody."

"Same here," Anthony supported.

Cody nodded as they reached the Marleybonian Spiral Chamber. Sarai was now without her dragon mount. She went to Wizard City after saying her farewell to Cody, Antonio and Anthony. Then Anthony left for Krokotopia.

Cody turned to Antonio and grinned wickedly. "We are alone now," He said, as if Antonio was blind. "Nowhere to run now."

* * *

><p>The shock Destiny felt rushing through her body and viens when she heard Connor say her own last name was intense, gripping her and never letting her go.<p>

_I'm not the Descendant of Balance,_ She realized. _It's Connor. Connor Seagem._

She now lay on her back, it being night. All of a sudden she wondered how much time she had spent here. Not that it mattered. Time was fuzzy now.

"Hey, what's up?"

Destiny stood and turned around. It was Nicholas. "Oh, hey," She said.

"You seemed upset when Connor said his last name was Seagem," Nicholas said. "Why?"

"Because Seagem's my last name, too," Destiny grumbled.

"So what?" Nicholas shrugged. "Shouldn't you admire the fact that you two have the same last name?"

"It's not that," Destiny admitted. "Its that I was hoping to be something, and apparently its Connor."

"How do you know?" Nicholas asked.

"Lets just say it has to do something with being a sorcerer," Destiny answered. "And I'm no sorcerer, Connor is, so lets face it, I've got no chance of being that person."

"How do you know?" Nicholas questioned. "And by the way, there is always a chance of something happening or someone being something. Sometimes it may not be very great, but there's always a chance. The choice is whether or not to expand that chance."

Destiny had nothing to say to that. Nicholas was right. There was always a chance of something.

"Well, I guess that chance of me being that someone is low then," Destiny finally said. "And no, I can't expand it. It's impossible."

"Impossible is a word only found in a fools dictionary," Nicholas countered. "As one of my favorite figures from the past had said. And he's right. Impossible can become possible. We just don't how to transform it that way. You just don't know how to expand that chance."

"Wise guy," Destiny muttered.

Nicholas shrugged. "I try to be," He said. "I might be younger then Garrett and Connor, but they look down to me. I can tell."

"How?" Destiny questioned.

"I've had a lot of experience here and there," He said. "You live and you learn. I've experienced a lot, so I've learned a lot. I guess that's what makes people so wise. Just plain experience."

"I thought you become wiser from knowledge," Destiny said. But before she had even finished Nicholas was shaking his head.

"You don't," He said.

Before he could say any more, a new voice said, "Destiny! You need to hear this!"

She turned around again to find Ryan and Jason. "I went out again tonight," Ryan continued. "I found this!" He held up a piece of withered parchment with a few lines of words in cursive with red ink. It was only until she saw the red ink that Destiny reconized what it was.

"The Prophecy of Fire!" She said, smiling as she clamored up to them. "The next few lines, huh?"

Jason nodded. "But they're pretty grim, to be honest."

Destiny's smile faded. "Here, lemme read," She said, taking away the parchment from Ryan, careful not to do any damage to it. She read the next five lines.

_Five of Balance will be found in the glitch in time;__  
>Five to start;<em>_  
>But one shall not pass the test;<em>_  
>Another will turn to the enemy;<em>_  
>And in the end only three shall remain.<em>_  
><em>

"Oh no," Destiny muttered. "We're going to loose two of them!"

"Two of what?" Nicholas asked, looking over Destiny's shoulder.

Destiny yanked the parchment from out of Nicholas's sight. "Nothing, nothing," She said. "We're just talking about stuff, that's all."

"Stuff isn't nothing," Nicholas countered. "But oh well." Nicholas walked away.

After she was sure that Nicholas couldn't hear, Destiny hissed almost under her breath, "What does the test refer to, though?"

Jason and Ryan glared at her. "I think you know," Jason said.

She did. Destiny didn't want to admit it. Her face paled. "The Ordeal," She said.

"And you know what the consequence of not passing the Ordeal is?" Ryan questioned.

"What?" Destiny asked, not really wanting to know the answer.

"Death."

Destiny furrowed her eyebrows in confusion for a second, but when she realized where Ryan was getting at, her face became a death-pale white. "Oh no," Destiny muttered.

Jason nodded. "I'm sorry. One of the descendants will die."

Destiny looked around the spiral chamber, with the inhabitants the descendants, who were siblings. Who would die? Would it be Emma, who Destiny had met in the Balance school? Would it be Dylan, who was told to be a treasure card ripoff? Would it be Nicholas, who was so kind as to try to comfort Destiny? Would it be Garrett, who was nice enough to take Jason and Ryan under their wing? Or would it be Connor, the bearer of her surname?

None of them deserved to die.

Then the next line bothered her too. Another will turn to the enemy. The enemy had to refer to the Thorns. None of them seemed to be bad enough to turn to them, either. Well, Dylan had a chance, from what she was told. But not great enough to become one of them.

Before she knew it, tears stung her eyes.

And crying was something that she did on very rare occasions.

* * *

><p>Sarai Storm had followed Cody's directions and gone to the Wizard City spiral chamber, desperate to find a way to her own time once again.<p>

Why would someone be so horrible enough to block their only way out of this mess? Sarai thought. It was too much for her, even though she had gone through a lot and was a master diviner.

But then another thought came to mind, setting up a sinking feeling in her stomach, like a dark room that longed to be lit, and the match was the answer to the thought that came to mind.

Why do I suspect that there's something that Cody hasn't told me, or even Antonio or Anthony?

Little did Sarai know was that she was passing that answer right along in the dark as she walked out of the Wizard City spiral chamber, somehow not noticing the group of camping wizards.

* * *

><p>"What use <em>are<em> Alexis and Esmee?" Jessica moaned as the quartet approached Marleybone.

"What is it that you have against Ice and Life?" Esmee asked once more.

Jessica shrugged. "Dunno. Oh, wait, apparently I do know, its because they're weak."

"Oh, I'll show you weak-" Esmee challenged, but was cut off by Jessica.

"I'll show you weak?" Jessica mimicked in a high-pitched tone, sounding nowhere near Esmee's voice. "Ha! You don't know the freaking definition of weak! That's how weak you are!"

"Listen up, you little-"

"Girls!" Chris said, butting in between the middle of them. "Stop fighting for Merlin's sake! This is not going to get Natalie out of Thorn Manor! In fact, I think it'll bring the chances that we'll all be caught higher!"

Jessica huffed. "Humph," She grunted, meekly agreeing.

"So what do we do?" Alexis asked, trying to bring Esmee and Jessica off-topic and forget about the argument they had less then a minute ago.

"Here's what we'll do," Chris said. "Jessica and Esmee will team up to distract the guards-"

Jessica groaned.

Chris was silent for a while then continued. "As I was saying," He said. "Jessica and Esmee will distract the guards while I go in there and find Natalie myself-"

"Why do you get to go there yourself?" Jessica complained. "Why can't I go in there and you and Esmee distract people?"

"Because I was friends with Vladimir," Chris explained. "I've been there, and I know my way around. Its best I do it, or else we have a higher chance of getting caught."

"That's great," Alexis said. "But what do I do?"

"Stick around and heal me or Jessica or Esmee if we need it," Chris said. Then he thought about it. "Actually, Natalie may need some tending too. Maybe you should come with me."

"At least I don't have to put up with the theurgist too," Jessica grumbled.

Alexis pretended she didn't hear that. "Lets go," She said.

Chris nodded. "We better go quick," He said. "I can't imagine what horrors Natalie is facing."

* * *

><p>"Take this, stupid dogs!" Natalie yelled as she cast an Orthrus treasure card. As they were distracted by the huge two-headed dog, Natalie avoided them and ran. As she ran, she called after them, "You make horrible security! I'll tell Mr. Thorn that!" Then she muttered as she ran away, "Or maybe I won't."<p>

_I find this strangely fun,_ Natalie thought. _I guess its the thrill._

Natalie turned through corners and through the halls, up a few stairs, down a few, having no idea if she was nearing the exit or running away from it. _I wonder how Destiny and Alexis were able to make their way out,_ Natalie thought. _If I run into Noah again, I guess I'll ask if he can guide me._

Natalie came to a fork in the road. She looked both ways, then quickly decided to take the left. She took the left. Then she ran into a teenage boy with blue eyes, long blonde hair wearing yellow Dragonspyre clothing.

She ran past him, and shouting, "Hey!" He gave chase to Natalie.

Oh no, Natalie thought. Must be working for Vladimir! Must get away!

But she couldn't. Natalie staggered back as all of a sudden an Orthrus was blocking the way she was running. She turned around. Heading the other way was that conjurer she had just past, who was walking towards her. Nowhere to run. But she could fight. But not with spells.

Natalie was a person who thought quickly on her feet, Ryan complemented that all the time. So she already had a plan.

"Are you working with Vladimir?" She asked.

The conjurer nodded. "Why else would I be here?"

"And where's here?" Natalie asked. She knew the answer. Natalie was just asking to test out how dumb he was.

"Thorn Manor, Marleybone," The conjurer boasted. "And you can't get out."

"You're right, I can't," Natalie said, trying to get him overconfident. "But why take me here in the first place?" She added.

"When Vladimir found you unconsious at the raid," The conjurer began. "He saw that if he took you hostage that you could be a good barganing chip for the Shards."

"Shards?" Natalie asked. Once again, testing his dumbness.

"I don't know what they are," The conjurer admitted. "Vladimir hasn't told any of us. He told us to guard these little pieces."

"Huh," Natalie shrugged. "Why didn't I see you at the raid?" She asked.

"Vladimir didn't trust me and my friend Jose," He said. "Because we lost one of the Shards."

Natalie forced herself not to grin. Now the moment of truth; she had gotten the conjurer hooked, maybe forgetting that they were enemies! "That's unfortunate," She sympathized. "What're you doing with the Shards now?"

"Well, I think Antonio had this green one," The conjurer began. "And I'm pretty sure that Vladimir left Anthony with a red one, and I think that's it." The conjurer smiled. "By the way, I'm Adam."

"Nice to meet you, Adam," Natalie said. "But one thing,"

"What's that?" Adam asked.

"Did you forget that we're enemies?"

Before Adam could respond, Natalie cast a tempest, leaving Adam in the waves. She turned and ran the other direction: The Orthrus wasn't there anymore. Natalie ran as fast as she could.

When tempest was over, Adam started to give chase to Natalie, but was stopped by Vladimir having a panicked expression on his face. It was odd to Adam because he usually seemed so confident.

"Thorn Manor is under attack!" Vladimir shouted.

* * *

><p>Sarai glanced out into the Commons at night, looking for the trio Cody had described.<p>

Instead, she found someone else.

"Looking for someone?" A sweet voice asked behind her.

Sarai immediately turned around to see a girl that was completely white. Literally. She had long white hair and white skin. She wore an odd mix of a white Victators Helm, Monk's robe, and Krokotopian boots. Sarai could make a trace of faint blonde in her hair. She held a long white staff with crystals adorning it all the way down the handle and another huge crystal at the top. They, of course, were white. The only trait that wasn't white were her eyes- they were a deep purple.

"Are you one of those people?" Sarai asked.

"My name's Taryn," The girl said. "But don't listen to those boys. You don't need the Shards!"

"How do you know?" Sarai asked.

"Because I myself can get you out," Taryn said simply.


	14. Part 9 A Glitch in Time Part 5

**A/N: It's been a while since I've updated this thing. To make up for that, I have an extra long chappie! Enjoy! :D**

* * *

><p><em>The Necromancer's Matter, Part 9; A Glitch in Time (Part 5)<em>

Grunting, Destiny woke up again, a part of her brain saying that this was all a dream and that she would wake up soon.

But it was too good to be true. Almost everything was lately.

She opened her eyes again. The reality part of her had spoken the truth. It was reality.

"I need to know," A new voice said behind her.

Destiny jumped and found Nicholas standing firmly. Whatever Nicholas was asking, Destiny knew that he would not back down from the subject he inquired.

"Need to know what?" Destiny asked.

"What you, Ryan and Jason were all talking about," Nicholas persisted. "You looked so serious about it, and you were crying afterwards. Most necromancer's don't cry."

"I am not _most necromancers,_" Destiny snarled.

Nicholas raised an eyebrow.

"Well, yeah, I don't cry too often," Destiny admitted.

"Well, what was it about?"

Destiny sighed. Nicholas would find out sooner, so she might as well tell him.

Unless he's the one who dies.

Destiny shook all matter of death from her head. The fateful lines of the prophecy had kept snaking their way into her head. She tried to take her mind off of the topic, but she never could. It was practically useless to get rid of, they were stuck to her mind like cement glue.

"Well, to start out," Destiny began. "You ever read the story called The First Wizards?"

"Oh, its that you wanted to talk to me about?" Nicholas asked.

"Yes, this is a serious topic," Destiny persisted.

"Dude, or dudette, whichever you prefer, I know," Nicholas said. "I know. I know what you're going to say."

"Wh-wha-what?" Destiny asked. He knew that who he was?

A smile crept up on Nicholas. "I know who I am, who Connor and Garrett and Dylan and Emma are. We're the descendants of Balance, aren't we. The page you were holding? The Prophecy of Fire. Who you are? Descendant of Death, correct?"

Destiny shook her head wearily. "No," She said in a hoarse voice. "I've only got one chance of lineage, and that's very slim."

"What's that chance?" Nicholas asked.

"A few days ago I had a dream," Destiny replied. "In the dream, I saw things that represented people's last names. Like, um, lion's blood in a dream is Lionblood. I saw five last names. Your guys'. Ashwielder was in that no problem. One of them was Seagem."

Nicholas nodded. "Connor Seagem."

"And Destiny Seagem," She pointed out.

For a moment Nicholas was silent before letting out, "Oh,"

"Yeah, Oh. Ironic, isn't it."

"Yeah. Sorry, it's Connor." Nicholas admitted.

Destiny laughed. "Sure not what you were saying last night!"

"Yeah yeah, so everyone keeps telling me," Nicholas muttered. Then he rubbed his head. "That's odd," Nicholas said. "Starting to feel a slight headache. I thought I took this medication that blocked migranes. This is... sudden."

Destiny sucked in a breath, eyes wide open. Oh no, She thought. This can't be happening, it CAN'T!

But it was.

And furthermore, there was nothing she could do about it.

Nicholas rubbed his head more, then groaned. "This is getting worse by the second," He said. "Correction, This is getting worse by the millisecond."

Then Nicholas could hold on no more. It began with a grunt, then a groan, then screaming in agony. "What kind of headache is this?" Nicholas yelled.

Then Nicholas fell to the ground, unconscious.

Tears stung her eyes. She didn't know why all of a sudden this was happening. Why did she get teary-eyed at this moment, out of all others. The signs had come. She had known they would come. She'd known they'd come and Destiny had also known that there was nothing that she could do about it.

The Ordeal was upon the Descendants of Balance.

Why when Nicholas fell to the ground? Destiny asked herself. You've been through Alexis's and Jessica's Ordeal, accepted them and acted like a man.

So why now? Why this moment out of all others? Destiny wanted to man up, to face that Nicholas was facing his Ordeal and there was nothing Nicholas, Destiny, or anyone else but Fate to do about it. Destiny wanted no more Ordeals, what all of the Descendants had to go through wasn't fair! Maybe it was a trail for them to overcome. Maybe it would sharpen them in every way. But they didn't deserve it. They could overcome trails just as well without the Ordeal. Destiny wanted no more Ordeals for anyone.

But Fate apparently had other ideas.

* * *

><p>"Ready?" Esmee asked Jessica.<p>

Jessica nodded. "Lets bust Natalie out of there!" Normally she would have said something snappy to the thautamerge, but Jessica know better. Reluctantly, she released her bitterness towards Life and Ice.

Chris and Alexis had already gone inside to search for Natalie, Noah or anyone else. Now it was up to the rivals to complete the job: Distraction.

What seemed like the same moment, Jessica started tracing the Death symbol for a Skeletal Pirate while, surprisingly, Esmee was etching the Myth symbol. They let go at the same time and unleashed their spells.

Jessica's Skeletal Pirate was successful. So was Esmee's spell... which was an Earthquake.

Jessica nudged Esmee. "Secondary Myth?" She guessed.

Esmee shook her head. "No, treasure card. Thought it'd be effective." Esmee paused to listen to screams within the black mansion, added by the sound of guards' yells, completed with a shriek from what sounded like Neela.

Esmee looked at Jessica and grinned. "What do you know?" She asked. "I was right."

"For once," Jessica snarled.

Esmee rolled her eyes. "Whatever Jessica," She grunted. Then her frown was erased with an evil grin. "Now, how does that saying go?" Esmee asked, then pretended to think. "Oh yeah, I believe its, lets get this party started!" Esmee raised her Flawed Sapphire Wand for Battle.

Jessica, rolling her eyes, did the same.

* * *

><p>Natalie's breath was starting to come out ragged. True, it was fun. But now was not "Fun" time. Right now was "Run-for-your-life-or-you'll-be-mincemeat" time. Natalie wanted to get out of the latter time.<p>

Natalie then heard the sound of guards gaining. So persistant and yet so bad at their job! Natalie thought as she ran. Then she stopped. "Time to fight," Natalie muttered. Quickly the storm symbol had appeared in the air, and Natalie finished with a Kracken.

Natalie grinned evilly, even though she wasn't evil as Vladimir, Neela and Cody and whatever people they hired, like that dunce Adam. Natalie noticed the Kracken's palm not to far from her, so reaching out, she jumped and hung onto the Kracken, made her way onto the palm, climbed up the arm and rested and the twenty-foot-tall creatures shoulder, where she had a clear view of the guards who had now caught up. They looked around, then looked up at the Kracken. The guards meekly casted a few ghouls and enraged, the Kracken hurled his bolt at the group. It landed almost straight in the middle, leaving the mixture of dogs and humans scattering.

Natalie grinned. "That's right," She called. "Run away like wusses and sissies!" Natalie paused to think. "Actually, you're something more profound! Wussissies!" Lot of S, Natalie thought.

Confident now, Natalie guided the Kracken after the guards, assuming that they knew where the exit was, since she had heard that there was an attack on the Manor. As she did, to hopefully prevent trouble, Natalie took the fact that her secondary was Fire to good use and summoned a Phoenix. Natalie could feel the Kracken beginning to sway, knowing that his time as a minion was almost up. Not knowing what to do, Natalie looked around for options. The Kracken was about to fall over and unless she didn't do something quick, Natalie would fall with it.

Then the phoenix she had summoned was in sight.

Making an insane decision in a split-second, right when the Kracken toppled over Natalie jumped off his shoulder, loving the few, fast and exilerating moments when she was soaring through the air. Natalie squinted and saw the phoenix...

...And landed perfectly on its back.

The phoenix was soaring through the air faster then Natalie had, which was kind of surprising, seeing the rate and altitude she had flew. Wind pushed heavily at her face, and she could barely rein in, let alone cast spells.

Then Natalie couldn't take it any longer.

Tired, Natalie's muscles gave way to falling off, and Natalie couldn't help herself. She tumbled off of the phoenix in which she had created and landed on the ground.

She heard something snap.

Natalie tried to get up but found it difficult. The rest of her body had landed on her left arm, which was now searing almost unbearingly with pain, pure pain. Natalie got up, but staggered and limped as she walked. She wondered what had happened as she couldn't help but cry out in pain.

Then the answer was clear.

Natalie had broken her left arm.

* * *

><p>"Then prove it," Sarai snarled. "Do it now. I want to go back. That's the whole point of me being here in Wizard City."<p>

Taryn sighed. "When the time is right, I will," Taryn said.

"The time is right now!" Sarai protested.

Taryn smiled, as if Sarai had cracked a funny joke. "Time," She muttered. "Time is a beautiful thing. An element. There should be a school of it."

Sarai groaned. This was getting her, Cody, Antonio or Anthony nowhere. Maybe she should just stick with finding the trio and these Shards.

She huffed. "Waste of time," Sarai muttered. She walked away.

"Wait!" Taryn yelled as she ran up to Sarai.

Sarai stopped and turned around. "What?"

"I would do it now," Taryn said. But-"

"Then freaking do it already!" Sarai yelled, her echoes bouncing off of houses in the commons in the night. It was the sort of scene you see in a book, Sarai realized. The kind where the mysterious person tells the kid or teenager everything, or her mission. Hopefully Taryn would do something like that. It would be pretty cool, Sarai guessed.

"There's a good reason why I'm not," Taryn persisted. "Its because you're not together."

There was a silence. Then Sarai exhaled deeply. "I see your point." She admitted. "So what do we do now?"

"We," Taryn started, a small smile starting on her face and taking over her face. "We need to get the whole gang back together."

* * *

><p>Destiny stared down at Nicholas, still shocked.<p>

The time was coming.

One of them was going to die.

Destiny was racing through her mind. No, it can't be! She thought. No more Ordeal, please!

Just at that moment, Ryan appeared. "Destiny, this is bad," He said. "Emma just entered her Ordeal, as did Connor."

Destiny nodded. "Same with Nicholas."

"So only Garrett and Dylan remain for now, huh?" Nicholas asked.

"I guess so," Destiny shrugged. "But if their siblings are currently going through this, then its only a matter of minutes, seconds, possibly, before they're out too."

Ryan shook his head. "Death is almost upon us," He said. "One of them has most likely seen their last sights."

"Don't remind me!" Destiny snapped. Then she saw the hurt on Ryan's face and her next reply was in a gentler voice. "I'm sorry, its just that I'm going through a lot, I guess."

"Aren't we all?" Ryan replied. "I've never seen someone die through Ordeal. But its gonna happen."

Destiny let out a breath that she just then realized that she'd been holding in for a while. Then a new topic came to mind, one that she had been constantly wondering about but hadn't realized it till now due to the horrific lines of the Prophecy of Fire.

"How's Esmee?" Destiny asked. "Chris? Jessica? Alexis? Natalie?" She had put Esmee first because she was her cousin and so far was concerned about her welfare most. Natalie too. The last time Destiny had seen her, she had been lying on the grass unconscious. "Have you recieved any word from them? Any at all?"

Destiny had been expecting a solemn shake of the head, "No, I'm sorry,", or a sigh. The next words weren't what she had in mind.

"Actually," Jason joined, coming up from behind Ryan. "We recieved word while you weren't here. Chris has a Communication Stone like me, so he told us all that was going on, as I did him."

A spark of hope lit. "What'd he say?" Destiny ask excietedly.

"Chris told us that when in the raid on the base that they fled, but had to leave Natalie behind," Jason said. "It resulted in her capture, apparently."

Both of Ryan's hands were clenched into fists, his knuckles white. Destiny noticed a drop of crimson liquid drop from a fist. Blood. Ryan's nails were apparently digging into his skin, Destiny observed. Eew.

"Scumbag," Ryan said. "Dirty little rat. I'll show him..."

"Ryan, stop," Destiny warned, and helped him uncurl his fists, one of which was bleeding. "Hurting yourself isn't gonna make things better."

"Oh yeah?" Ryan countered. "Imagine if your sibling got kidnapped! What would your reaction be?"

Destiny didn't say anything. She did have siblings, two brothers and two sisters. "I would be mad," Destiny admitted. "I would stop at nothing until I got them back." She shocked herself that if her little sister Scarlet was the victim, that she'd do it. Because Scarlet was a pain in the butt.

"Now imagine yourself in my situation," Ryan proceeded. "That you were helpless to do anything about it, in another time or dimension with no known way out."

"Furious," Destiny said.

Streams of tears were beginning to fall from Ryan's eyes, one making a trail, then another one shortly following, taking advantage of the same path and glistening. He was breathing heavily. Ryan noticed the tears and wiped his face quickly before anymore could fall. Then he furrowed his eyebrows. "Exactly,"

"Don't worry Ryan," Destiny soothed. "It's going to be okay."

"Actually," Jason interrupted. "It already is. Chris reports that he issued a rescue mission to the remainders of the Order, Jessica, Alexis and Esmee, and I can feel that its already taking action. Don't worry Ryan."

"Anything else?" Destiny asked.

"Other then that they fled to Jessica's house," Jason said. "Pretty much it. Lets hope luck's on their side on the mission."

Let's hope luck's with _us_, Destiny thought.

* * *

><p>"Quit pushing me around, Cody!" Antonio yelled as he tried to run away from the rouge necromancer. "We're supposed to be finding the dang Shards already! Geez, you were the one who issued the mission in the first place!"<p>

"We've already looked," Cody said. "We've looked and we've met up. They're nowhere to be found. So I figured that until Sarai and Anthony get back, I'd amuse myself. Unfortunately for you, my strategy is get you back for taunting me for when we first met."

"You already did!" Antonio protested. "You over made up for it!"

"In your book, yes, I have, true," Admitted Cody. "But lets see, on page seventy-two in my book it says, "If someone taunts you, you will remain restless and on the hunt until that person is truly sorry for their mistake."

"But I am!" Antonio said.

"Sorry, yes," Cody countered. "Truly sorry, no."

"I am!" Antonio yelled.

"Whether you're truly sorry or not has to be decided according to the avenger," Cody said. "And the avenger is me."

Right before Cody could tackle Antonio, a shrill scream yelled, "Cody, what're you doing?"

Cody quickly turned around, prepared to fight, but he relaxed when he reconized Sarai. "You done already?" Cody asked.

"You done already?" Countered Sarai, raising an eyebrow.

"Well, it was split up," Cody pointed out.

"Never mind that or your wrestling with Antonio," Sarai critizied them. Both Antonio and Cody slouched. Then Sarai smiled. "Anyways, there's someone I'd like you to meet."

That's when Cody and Antonio noticed the girl behind Sarai. "Woah," Antonio muttered. "Someone's white,"

The girl in white nodded respectively. "I am Taryn," She said.

Cody nodded. "I'm-"

"I know who you are," Taryn interrupted. "Your name is Cody Shadowstrider. The theurgist is Antonio Lifespear. And I believe I just met Sarai Storm."

Cody stared at Taryn. "Who are you?" Cody asked, suspisions rising.

Taryn giggled. "I am exactly who I say I am," Taryn claimed. "Taryn."

Cody relaxed. He felt that Taryn was telling the truth. "Why're you here?" He asked, not letting his character falling.

"You four-yes, I know about Anthony Spiritwalker, too," Taryn said. "Were focused on getting the Shards. That is not what you need to be focusing on. Right now our objective is to find Anthony. Not to mention the Order of the Spiral."

* * *

><p>Adam was shocked. Thorn Manor? Under attack? One of the reasons why he had accepted Vladimir's offer was because the Manor had seemed so inpenitratable.<p>

"Well, why're you just standing there?" Vladimir scolded.

"Ummm..."

"Um what?" Vladimir asked.

"Who was that girl who just ran from me and casted the Kracken?" Adam asked.

"Girl and Krack-" Then Vladimir realized. "OH MY GOSH I CAN'T BELIEVE THIS!" He screamed.

"Believe what?" Adam asked, genually confused.

"My my MY, you and Jose mess up EVERYTHING!" Vladimir yelled. "You let Natalie ESCAPE?"

"Natalie the prisoner?" Adam said.

Vladimir sighed in exasperation. "No, Natalie the satyr. YES NATALIE THE PRISONER YOU IDIOT!"

Adam gulped. Things weren't looking good.

"Heckhound, you mess up everything! At least Jose knew who to watch over!" Vladimir yelled.

Adam's fury was rising. He didn't want to get paid only to be shrieked at. Time someone stood to this guy. "Oh yeah?" Adam challenged. "Well, if you're so great and perfect, then why are you standing around talking to me instead of doing something about the fact that we're under attack?"

"You didn't do anything about Natalie!"

"Oh, for crying out loud, I DIDN'T KNOW!"

"Adam, if you still want your money then you better act up and you better act up FAST!" Vladimir hissed. "I pay you for work and alliance, not for releasing the dumbness that seeps through your uncharged mind! Now get to WORK! As will I!"

With that, Vladimir charged off.

* * *

><p>Jessica cast another Skeletal Pirate at the guards that kept coming and coming and seeping and seeping through the doors. A second later Esmee followed with an Ice Wyvern.<p>

Then something weird happened.

Before she could cast another spell, a ray of blue came from one of Esmee's palm. It was clear that Esmee didn't know what she was doing. She was confused at the ray was pointed at the guards, hitting them one by one.

And turning them into statues of ice one by one.

Once they were all frozen, the ray flickered and died, leaving Esmee completely unaware of what had happened.

"What," Jessica started. "Was that?"

"I-I-I don't know," Esmee stammered. "I just had this radiation- no, feeling - and I just had to, you know, let it out. And that's what I did."

"Well, save the dramatic speech for later," Jessica interrupted. "Now that we can take care of guards easily with your fancy freezing, lets see how Chris and Natalie are doing."

* * *

><p>"Ugh," Alexis groaned. "When will we be able to find Natalie and leave? I've got bad memories here."<p>

That was true. A month or two ago, Destiny had been assigned to spy on Vladimir desguised as Neela. She had found Alexis and together they had barely escaped the manor with Vladimir, Neela, Cody and the guards all on their tails.

"Patience Alexis," Chris soothed. "It's a virtue."

"As the saying goes," Alexis grumbled. "Not to mention it's a curse."

"Quiet!" Chris hissed as he pulled Alexis against a black stone wall besides him, the guards barely missing them and running past. Chris turned to Alexis again. "Do you want to be caught?"

Rapidly Alexis shook her head.

"Good," Chris approved. "Then stay quiet and lie low!"

Her avid eyes sweeping the hall, Alexis noticed a medival door- one of those wooden doors with black metal hinges.

Alexis knew instantly where it led to.

"Come on!" Alexis whispered as she pulled Chris to the door. Alexis tried it, and surprisingly, it was open.

It led to the Manor dungeon cells.

"Knew it," Alexis cheered. "Score one for Alexis."

"In what?" Chris asked sarcastically.

"In being smarter then Chris," Alexis answered.

Before Chris could insult Alexis back, Alexis led Chris down the hall. Most of the cells were empty and the same. But the one that really stood out was one that looked utterly destroyed.

The cell was practically pulverised. Most of the black iron bars had been snapped in two, the halves up slanted upwards, and the ones on the bottom slanted downwards. The door apparently hadn't been opened, but the lock was split in two and the cell door seemed to be depending on a fateful hinge to the right for support. There were cut ropes sprawled on the floor and it looked like dust had actually built inside of there due to gray stone bricks that had crashed and one was preparing to crash.

Alexis turned to Chris. "Natalie's cell." She decided.

Chris nodded in agreement. "She is the type to think on her feet," He said. "Now lets find her."

Chris pulled Alexis along down the hall as another stone brick crashed and broke the last hinge, the end result the doom of the cell door.

* * *

><p>Vladimir swiftly ran to the security room. He hadn't been hearing from the security, so he decided that it was time to take matters into his own hands.<p>

Quickly Vladimir pulled out a red key from his pouch and unlocked the door, revealing the security room, basically a system of telescopes that watched every room at almost every angle that all met up to there. The Security Room.

Vladimir entered another section of the room that watched over the cells in the dungeon. Before he entered that section though, he noticed a telescope leading to outside of the manor.

Vladimir peered into the telescope. There he watched as Jessica and Esmee retreated into the manor. The guards that were supposed to be protecting it weren't moving a milimeter. Just then he saw the sheets of ice that covered each one of them.

Vladimir knew that all descendants had potential. But being able to freeze things? That was a whole different story indeed.

Vladimir then rushed to the telescope watching over Cell #24, Natalie's cell.

Or what was left of it.

Vladimir gritted his teeth at the sight of the ruined cell. Helephant! Vladimir thought. Dang those Descendants of Storm! He knew that they had a thing or two with strength.

Then he noticed two others, a conjurer and a theurgist. He recgonized them both easily.

Chris Soulhunter and Alexis Lifestone. Order of the Sprial.

With good eyesight he watched the two of them carefully. He watched as Chris and Alexis fled the dungeon.

Vladimir exited the security room. Just then he noticed Jose running about. "Hey, Jose!" Vladimir barked.

Jose scrambled to him. "Yes Vladimir?"

"You know where the dungeons are, don't you?" He asked.

Jose nodded. "Sure do," He replied.

"I need you to guard the entrance," Vladimir said. "A part of the raiding party is in there and will attempt to get out. Don't let them. Get them. Maybe even kill them, if it comes to that."

"Killing?" Jose asked, his voice quiet now. "You want me to kill?"

"At a last resort," Vladimir said. "But if that's what it takes to stop them from killing us, you just may have to. The stakes are now higher then ever before."

* * *

><p>Pretty soon Dylan and Garrett had fallen to the Ordeal too. Surprisingly, throughout the night, Connor had woken up and was waiting for the three members of the Order of the Spiral when they repeated.<p>

Destiny rubbed her eyes then noticed Connor. "I thought you were in your Ordeal," She said.

Connor nodded. "I was. Till I woke up."

Destiny sighed. "I guess that's it then," She said solemnly.

Connor noticed the sadness right away. "What's the big deal?" He asked.

"Our last names," Destiny said. "Lets just say that."

Connor sighed. "What about them?" He asked. "And please don't do those dramatic pauses. I hate those."

Unknowingly, a smile crept up Destiny's face. "I do too," She said. "Anyways, one night I had a dream. They basically spoke of last names. One of them was Seagem."

"Awesome," Connor replied.

"It was for me too," Destiny agreed. "Till I met you."

"So meeting me was a bad thing?" Connor asked, hardness erupting in his voice.

Connor was taking it the wrong way. "No, that's not what I meant!" Destiny protested. "The thing is, my last name's Seagem too."

The hardness was replaced by happiness. "Awesome," Connor said again. Then he realized where Destiny was getting to. "Oh,"

Destiny nodded. "Yeah."

"Hey guys, what's up?"

Destiny looked around and saw Garrett awaking up. "Already passed?" She asked.

Garrett nodded. "Yeah. It was scary."

Destiny stared at him. "You know," She said. "It only took a matter of hours for you while it usually takes at least a day. You're Descendant to recover that I've seen."

Garrett's eyebrows rose. "Nice," He said, grinning.

Destiny offered her hand to Garrett. "Congrats Garrett," She said as Garrett accepted. "You just set a record."

Garrett grinned slyly. "Again, nice,"

Then a jolt was sent down Destiny's spine.

_This means that when it comes to dying,_ Destiny thought. They're out of the equation. But Dylan, Emma and Nicholas are still up for grabs.

Oh great. It just had to be one she had history with, huh?

Within the next hour Ryan and Jason had awoken and got some breakfast to share. The group ate viraciously and savored it. But Destiny knew it was only a matter of time before the subject arose again.

Destiny was right. "So, you guys recovered from your Ordeal pretty fast," Jason observed.

"Honestly, I recovered barely before Destiny woke up," Connor admitted. "I guess it took like fifteen or something hours."

"Fifteen hours is pretty normal," Ryan added. "But a matter of two or three hours from Garrett? That's almost paranormal. He was close to beating the Ordeal record."

Again Garrett raised his eyebrows. "Sheesh," Was all he could say.

Jason nodded. "Sheesh indeed."

The rest of the day seemed to fly by. Day turned into night. During the night Dylan recovered and was waiting for the rest of them. Now all that was left was Emma and Nicholas.

Another day passed. Still no recovery from either one of them. Somehow the group managed to keep themselves entertained.

Then, night rose.

Dylan, Connor, Garrett, Destiny, Jason and Ryan had all gotten back from the arena to test out their skills against one another in a series of duels. When they came back to the chamber, they found a sight... something that shouldn't have been too nerve-racking or anything, but it was.

Destiny's eyes grew to the size of bowling balls and her mouth hung agape. She knew she was about to witness a death scene.

For the final Descendant meant to recover had. It was both good and bad- the good part was that for that Descendant, the Ordeal was over, which Destiny was relieved. So that Descendant had lived.

But the other one wouldn't. Destiny now knew by what she was seeing that fate had chosen who to die...

* * *

><p>Anthony was almost done searching for inside the Tomb of Storms. He had searched every nook and cranny of it, most would do the same if they were trying to get back to their own time. They would be that desperate.<p>

Soon, when he returned to the Oasis, he found Cody, Antonio, Sarai and another girl dressed clad in white waiting for him.

"Hey guys," Anthony greeted. Then his eyes swept to the girl. "Who's she?"

Before the white girl could respond, Cody said, "She claims to be able to take us back to our own time."

"Doesn't the Shards do that?" Anthony questioned.

The girl shook her head. "No," She answered. "That would be very, very unwise. If you bring the Shards at a close enough distance yet again, the massive amount of cosmic energy stored inside those fragments will cause even more chaos if they were to reconnect. You were all very lucky to survive an event of the Shards being brought together. Sending you forward or back in time was a tiny spark compared to what could have happened. What normally happens. There must have been a very powerful force near it to repel the radiation of that kind of energy."

Antonio whistled. "So this is only a minority?" He asked.

"It's exactly what I'm saying," The brainiac girl said.

"So what's your name?" Anthony said. "At least tell me that if I'm supposed to trust you."

The girl nodded her understanding. "My name is Taryn."

"A last name?" Anthony inquired.

"None," Taryn said simply.

Anthony nodded his understanding. "I see," He said. Some people in the spiral chose not to have a last name and just went by a first. Apparently Taryn was one of those people.

But Anthony quickly got back on topic. "So you explained pretty well what would have happened if the Shards reconnected," He observed. "So explain how you'll be able to take us back to our own time."

"That I cannot explain," Taryn objected. "It is against sacred laws for me to do so. But I can explain this: we need to find the rest of what you call the Order of the Spiral and... a few others."

"Who is a few others?" Sarai asked, speaking for the first time.

"Some siblings who are gonna get caught up in this, whether they like it or not." Taryn said. "All in the school of Balance." Then the color drained from her face.

Sarai could sense that something was wrong right away. "What is it?" She asked.

"Sarai," Taryn said softly. "Go to Wizard City. Now."

"Why?" Sarai asked.

Taryn tried to blink away tears. "A death toll is near."

* * *

><p>Jessica looked over her shoulder along with Esmee as they entered Thorn Manor. Instead of a dark blue, now the sky was becoming a dark yellow as the sun began to rise east over the horizon.<p>

"Wow," Jessica marveled. "The raid has taken a few hours, apparently."

Esmee's eyebrows raised. "Had no idea it took this long," She agreed.

"Anyways," Jessica said. "We still have to find Alexis and Chris, but preferably Natalie."

"So stop freaking standing there," Argued Esmee. Before Jessica could talk back, Esmee retreated inside the manor. Shortly Jessica followed and rushed to catch up with Esmee. Suddenly a shout of pain was heard down the hall to the duo's left. Quickly they both decided to rush and check it out.

But it wasn't long before a sudden swooping phoenix was heading their way at an incredible rate. Quickly Jessica ducked, but Esmee held her ground, unmoving.

"ESMEE!" Jessica yelled. "Do you want to get squashed?"

A laugh came from Esmee. "I'm not!" Right when she finished, Esmee closed her eyes and exposed the palm of her right hand. Soon after, another freeze ray had shot out of it and turned the phoenix into a block of ice.

Jessica nodded an approving nod to Esmee. "Nice one," She complemented. "That certainly disposed of the rouge phoenix."

The fourteen-going-on-fifteen thautamerge shrugged. "I try," She said, followed shortly by a smug smile. "Now lets move it," Then once again Esmee broke off. Jessica rolled her eyes in annoyance, then shrugged.

They looked around, then saw a diviner grunting in pain, one they recongnized instantly.

"Natalie!" They shouted sententiously.

* * *

><p>Destiny saw Emma's long brown hair shrouding her face as she tended to her older brother.<p>

When she saw the group returning, Emma rushed up to them, with tears in her eyes. "It's Nicholas," She stammared. "H-he's not doing well! He's struggling to breathe, and his heartbeat is slowing!"

Jason ran over to Nicholas while Ryan muttered, "Oh no."

Destiny along with everyone else listened to Nicholas, and Emma was right- he wasn't in good condition. "We need to get him to a hospital or infirmary or something!" Dylan shouted.

Garrett shook his head. "As much as I hate to admit it, we can't," He said, "because there just won't be enough time to take him to someplace like that."

"Then get a theurgist!" Dylan shouted. "Just do something!" He looked to Nicholas, and even though he couldn't hear, Dylan added, "Don't worry, you're gonna be okay!"

"Does anyone know CPR?" Connor asked as he scanned the group. "Nicholas has lack of oxygen coming to his brain."

"I don't."

The group was stunned by Nicholas opening his eyes. "You're okay!" Exclaimed Emma.

Nicholas shook his head. "Not exactly. I didn't pass."

The color from Emma's face drained once again. "What do you mean?"

"For now, I'm alive. However, I can't exactly say that in ten minutes."

"No," Dylan said. "You're not. If you do, we'll get you to a medic."

"No ordinary medic can bring someone back to life," Nicholas regected. "It's got to be Life herself or... or..."

"Or what?" Emma asked.

"Or a fully trained Descendant of Life, in which even she may not be able to do it," Nicholas said. "The only other one who can do it is a fully realized Pure Descendant."

"Pure Descendants barely exist!" Jason yelled. "You kidding me?"

"If I were, would I be saying it in the first place?"

Silence told Nicholas the answer he was looking for. "That's what I thought." He turned to his siblings, with a series look on his face. "You all have a common goal, Descendant or no," He began. "You may not realize it, but I know that the spiral is indeed in graver danger then any of you know. It'll take hard, combined efforts to repel that threat.

"I have seen things of the future from my Ordeal," Nicholas continued. "It's not a pleasant one. You'll also have to keep this in mind: In the process, a world will actually fall and crumble to ruins, as will the rest of the spiral if in the end it isn't enough. The spiral will be filled to the brim with evil and demise. Vladimir and his group have a plan that none of you know about. You don't even realize how dangerous his goal is, and you don't even realize how close he is to completing it! If he were to succeed, then everything we've all worked for will be for nothing. Everything as you know it will crumble to dust and ash."

He looked closly at all of his siblings. "My time is coming very soon," He warned, "Please, I need my siblings to fulfill their destinies, their roles to their school. Give your life if necessary, as have I for this cause. The game has become a lot dangerous then what it was a year ago. I need you four, Connor, Garrett, Dylan and Emma, to fulfill your roles. All of you need to do so. And you will."

Nicholas turned to Destiny, Jason and Ryan. "You're all thinking how the legendary Marcus Dawngem died," He said. "I know how, the same way I will."

Ryan gasped. "He died in the Ordeal?" He asked. "But... he was a Pure Descendant..."

"Ordeals for regular Descendants are horrible," He said. "One for a Pure is a thousand times multiple! Almost no one can survive that kind of challenge."

Nicholas took a deep breath and looked up. "My time's up," he said. "Wherever this lead, someone had to go. I'm glad it wasn't one of you guys." Nicholas looked up at the Spiral Chamber ceiling- Destiny noticed it seemed to be taking him a huge amount of effort.

"Time to rest." he softly said.

And with that, his head lolled to a side and Nicholas Ashwielder never moved again.


	15. Part 9 A Glitch in Time Part 6

_The Necromancer's Matter, Part 9; A Glitch in Time (Part 6)_

From behind a corner, Neela Waterpetal noticed Esmee's new power. She knew that she had a powerful aura as the Descendant of Ice, but not powers.

Thautamerges learned to freeze little objects when they were grandmasters, and it could only be something small. However, Esmee had it down at adept.

Her aura.

Aura. That's what Neela would call it.

She had to find out about the Auras. If Esmee could freeze things, with her being a Descendant, there was almost no telling what the others could do.

They'd most likely have Auras along with Esmee, powers to help them enhance life. Now she practically knew that the Descendant of Fire could do; he could most likely set things on fire with merly a glance.

Neela had to find out more. Why hadn't she, Vladimir and Cody heard of it before? Had they actually managed to keep their powers a secret or were they just barely being discovered? Neela had heard no mention of it that she could recall, nor had she seen it in action till now, so she assumed the latter.

Neela needed to discover what this was, or if the Order had even known about it.

But if they had just discovered it now, Neela thought, had they had the capacity to use this all along?

Or did they not discover it till now because now was a grave time for them with Neela and Vladimir being so close to succeeding?

* * *

><p>Connor felt Nicholas's face. "He's gone," He said, barely controlling himself, "no theurgist can bring him back now, I'm afraid."<p>

Destiny looked back to everyone of Nicholas's siblings. Only Emma's auburn hair was visiable with her hands buried deep in her face. Connor was trying to hold his own for everyone. Garrett was trying to comfort Emma, telling her that everything was going to be okay.

But was it? Nicholas had died! They were all trapped in time with no known way out! Natalie was apparently captured for what she knew, and she couldn't imagine what kind of trial Chris, Jessica, Esmee and Alexis was going through.

Things were _not_ okay.

She realized that she hadn't checked on Dylan. Dylan's back was turned to the rest of the group, arms across his chest.

"Why did Nicholas have to die?" He asked himself, even though he knew that he was going to get no clear answer. "Why not me?"

Destiny heard him, and apparently so had Jason. "It was for a good cause," Jason promised, "it won't be for nothing."

"And just what cause is this?" Dylan's voice was raised. "Nicholas and I weren't just brothers, we were almost twins! We were the closest two people you could ask for, even though that we were different schools."

"Wait, wait just a minute," Destiny rose, looking Dylan in the eye, "just what do you mean you were different schools?"

Dylan shrugged. "He was Balance," He replied, "and I'm Death."

Destiny slowly turned to Jason, who had a shocked expression on your face. "Um, you're not Balance?" He inquired, trying to hide the uneasiness in his voice but obviously not successful.

"You see me wearing white robes, not tan," Dylan reminded. "what did you expect?"

"We expected that you were Balance!" Destiny's voice rose. "You went through the Ordeal! Your last name was in a dream of mine! And now you're death?" Her voice was shrilling with the final four words.

"Oh, so its my fault all of a sudden?" Dylan asked, his voice rising along with Destiny's. "You can't blame me! No, you _are_ blaming me! Blaming me for something I can't control! I didn't choose to be in Death!"

"But, but," Ryan joined. "this means that you just may not be a Descendant of Balance."

"But I went through the Ordeal and everything," Dylan argued. "I guess you're just not used to the fact that someone in Death could be a Descendant of Balance."

Jason looked to Destiny, who's face turned a deep red.

"Anyways," Dylan persisted. "Enough with the fact that I may or may not be a Descendant, because I know for a fact that I am. My brother, twin, in fact, has died and all you're doing is standing around here wondering if I'm a Descendant!"

He yelled the last few words, breathing heavily, seething in anger. "You don't care!" He yelled. "You don't care that Nicholas has freaking died!"

"That's not true!" Ryan argued. "We care perfectly!"

"Then why are you standing around here arguing with me instead of moarning him along with Garrett, Emma and Connor?" Dylan yelled pointing to his twin's body. "If this case, whatever you're fighting for, has killed him, then I want no part of this, I don't care if it kills me!"

With the last few words Dylan turned around and ran out of the spiral chamber. But not before saying,

"In fact, I'd prefer to be dead myself now! Anything to see Nicholas again!"

* * *

><p>Sarai barged into the chamber, looking around. Taryn had said that a death was near. She had to get to that dying person before he or she did pass away.<p>

That was, until she saw two boys and a girl huddling over a body.

Sarai walked over to the trio. "What's wrong?" She asked.

The girl looked to her, streams of tears accenting her blue eyes and light brown hair. "It's N-N- I can't say his name!" The girl cried. "My brother- dead!"

"This wasn't supposed to happen in at least thirty years," The oldest boy muttered, with black hair and purple eyes in Valkyrie clothes. "I can't believe this." It was obvious that he was trying to hold it together for his siblings.

Sarai gulped. She had been to late. Sarai knelt down besides the girl. "I'm so sorry," She said. "So sorry."

"And now-now- another brother, he's, away! He ran away!" The girl continued.

"All in a days work," Sarai heard the other boy mutter.

Sarai shook her head. This was insane. Loosing two brothers in one day was perfectly insane.

"Our companions have gone after him," The boy muttered again. The younger one, the one in that looked like in his late Magus. "Dylan wants to kill himself!"

"Well, you're not going to let him," Sarai affirmed, standing up. "He doesn't understand that if he's dead, he doesn't consider how you three feel about this situation. Your brother needs to learn to live and learn, accept facts. Now, we're going to find him!"

* * *

><p>Before they found Dylan, someone else did.<p>

He breathed heavily, staring out into the nothingness of his former school. Everything was being deprieved of him. First the trust of his teacher and guardians, practically saying that he was a failure as a necromancer. To add, he was trapped in time with no known way out.

Now, his twin brother and only supporter.

It was all gone. Simply gone.

"Sad how the Death School is gone, huh?"

Dylan turned around to see a boy around his age with blue hair and dark eyes. He wore black Valkyrie armor and a gold sword. Dylan nodded sadly.

The boy looked over to Dylan. "Something's wrong. I can sense it."

"How would you feel if you just lost your twin and your school?" Dylan muttered.

"Well, I don't have a twin," The boy said. "However, there may be something that I can do to change that."

Dylan looked at the blue-haired boy with interest. "What may that be?"

The boy's lips formed a grin, both a little sinister and warming. "I'll tell you. First, introductions. My name's Cody Shadowstrider. What's yours?"

* * *

><p>Natalie grinned from ear to ear. "Great to see you guys!" She yelled as she rushed up to Esmee and Jessica. "What about Chris and Alexis? Destiny, Ryan and Jason?" She cringed as she spoke Ryan's name.<p>

"Destiny, Ryan and Jason's location are not of importance right now," Esmee decided. She didn't want to talk about her lost cousin. "What matters right now is that we find Chris and Alexis."

"Well, then let's get out!" Natalie said. "Lets find them and go, I'm sick of this place!"

"I'm afraid I can't let you do that," A new voice said.

Shortly after those lines were spoken, the trio saw a shadow emerge. A shadow of a teenage girl with long jet-black hair flowing down wearing a black and red Valkyrie Set. At first they didn't recongize her, but when they saw her amber eyes, they did.

Neela. Apparently her hair that was usually tied up into a ponytail was now loose, and she wasn't in her usual formal Marleybonian garb. Now she was clad in Dragonspyre armor.

And as if reading their minds, Neela grinned and asked, "Oh, admire the new change of looks? I decided that Marleybonian wear was too stuffy and was getting old. However, Dragonspyre armor," Neela did the impossible by grinning even wider, "now _this_ is what you call a good change of clothes."

"Let us pass, Neela," Jessica warned. Then, with a grin not nearly as sly as Neela's, she added, "Unless you want to feel Esmee's wrath."

Esmee grinned. "I can do pretty nasty things to you now,"

"Oh, you mean your Aura?" Neela gasped. "Yeah yeah, been there, done that. I know you can freeze things."

"Wait, wait," Natalie interrupted as she turned to Esmee. "you can freeze things?" She asked.

"Isn't that what we just said?" Neela snapped.

Esmee nodded. "Exactly. So how about I test it out? You know, for practice?"

And with that, she launched a blue ray at Neela. However, it stopped when it got a foot near her. It didn't dissolve or anything, it was just stopped, as if there was an invisible force field around Neela. For a few minutes, Esmee kept pushing and pushing with her strength. She turned her head and mouthed,

"Go while I have her distracted!" to Jessica.

Jessica couldn't read mouths. But she did get the message. She grabbed Natalie's arm and fled.

Or, at least, tried too. Neela drew out her onyx blade and used it to bar Natalie and Jessica. "One step closer and this will be going inside your bodies," Neela warned.

Natalie couldn't take it anymore. She had already more or less played the role of damsel in distress, and even with a broken arm, there had to be a way in which she could help. She at least owed Esmee and Jessica that much.

Then, without thinking, winds rushed up to Natalie and the fighting quartet heard clouds roll in above the manor. The air was spiraling around Natalie like a vortex consuming yet another victim, lifting her up so her head was an inch from the silver ceiling, and her eyelids fluttered and eyeballs rolled back as if she were fainting. But she wasn't. So she opened them again. Only this time they weren't their usual gray: It was a dark purple. Not just the irises- her eyeballs were completely encased in a dark, rich purple.

Jessica gulped as she saw the fifteen-year-old rise up into the air with her eyes turning purple. And at the same time, she heard lightning flash outside and thunder rolling in. She quickly looked out a window and saw that the winds of the storm was causing a huge wreck outside, with tree trunks cracking apart and falling down onto soggy grass or gravel, Marleybonians fighting against the storm, desperate for safety inside their homes.

And if Jessica knew right, the storm happening at the same time that Natalie was- well, in her state, (Jessica didn't know what else to call it) was nowhere near a coincidence.

She soon had her attention diverted back to Natalie, whose right arm shot out and lightning shot at the ceiling with a downwards motion of her arm.

Esmee and Neela looked at each other with horror written across their faces. What had Natalie become?

With a horizontal motion, the winds grabbed Neela's sword from her and threw it against the wall, falling to the stone floor with a clank.

As Neela rushed after it, Jessica and Esmee fled. But when they saw that Natalie was still in her trance, they rushed after her, not knowing what in the spiral to do to get her out of her state.

As Esmee continued trying to get Natalie down, Jessica turned her attention to Neela, who had collected her sword and was already advancing towards them. Jessica quickly summoned a Kracken, knowing that her Death spells would be pracitcally useless due to Neela's heavy resistance.

After a huge effort, Jessica saw that Esmee had got the winds slowly putting Natalie down to the ground, and watched as the dark purple eyes were slowly turning to its usual gray. Once again she looked to Neela, who had easily killed the Kracken with her sword, the Kracken's purple blood spilling across the floor.

To hopefully keep Neela distracted once more, Esmee summoned an Ice Wyvern, knowing that it wouldn't do too much, but for now it was what she had.

A weakened Natalie opened her eyes, the purple completely gone, thankfully. "What- what happened?" She asked as the ceiling began to crumble and as Neela finished off the Wyvern- already.

"No time for that," Esmee rushed. "For now the important thing is to find Chris and Alexis and get out of here!" Jessica took Natalie's hand and ran out of the hall with her, Esmee following short behind. As Jessica and Natalie proceeded, Esmee held her ground.

"What're you doing?" Jessica yelled at Esmee. "Let's go!"

"Hold on!" Esmee cried. She closed her eyes, raised her arms and hands up, fingers spread apart and palms downwards, she quickly turned her palms up as if she were commanding something to rise.

And something did rise- that something was a thick sheet of ice slowly climbing up to the ceiling to bar Neela inside the hall.

"Nice one," Natalie approved, a grin creeping up on her face. Sure enough, she was her old self instead of that creepy being who had seemed to be possessed. "I'm liking Esmee's power."

"Speaking of which," Esmee quickly turned around, long brown hair swishing in the air. "What did you do? Natalie- somehow you called that storm. I don't think you were possessed or anything of the sort. I think you did that on your own will."

"Did what?" Natalie questioned, confused. She was interrupted by the sound of Neela hacking away at the ice with her sword. Again, Esmee put another sheet of ice to join the one that was already imprisoning Neela for good measure.

"Lets get out of here," Esmee interrupted. "But just a second," She added as she saw Jessica and Natalie already taking off. "Natalie, you may not remember, but you were lifted into the air, your eyes were a deep, dark purple, and there was this huge storm going on outside-"

"Speaking of which," Jessica cut in. "I think its gone now."

Sure enough, they didn't hear any more lightning or thunder sounding. It still seemed a little cloudy, but based on what they were hearing, the storm seemed to have ceased.

"Guys," Esmee proceeded. "I remember Neela saying something about an Aura. She said that my ability to freeze things in thin air without a source of water nearby was my Aura. Natalie, I think you found yours. You can call storm fronts."

Before Natalie and Jessica could say anything more, Neela had broken through one sheet of ice and was already about halfway through the next.

Esmee quickly added three more layers and, when they heard footsteps coming nearer and nearer, they ran away, their main goal to find Chris and Alexis as soon as possible.

* * *

><p>"Guys, Dylan could be anywhere," Jason said as they hurried out of the spiral chamber in the dead of night. The trio was so tired- it had to be at least 11PM.<p>

"Ain't that the truth," Destiny muttered. She knew that it wasn't exactly the best time to be snappy, but being a necromancer, she really couldn't help herself but to let Jason see that stating the obvious wasn't exactly going to help.

"Like we did in Grizzlehiem and Mooshu, we're going to have to split up and do patrols," Jason proceeded. Either he hadn't heard Destiny or decided to ignore her comment- and attitude. "Destiny, I need you to take the Commons. From what I've seen, the siblings are already looking through Ravenwood, so I guess I'll look through the Shopping District and Elik's Edge. Ryan, for now, you're stationed in Olde Town."

"Why is it always me that gets to patrol the lamest places?" Destiny grumbled. This time, Ryan and Jason did hear her.

"This the right time and place?" Ryan asked as Jason opened his mouth, most likely to say the same thing. "Who cares where we're patrolling, the only thing that should be on our minds is where Dylan Nightfinder is."

"Guess you're right," Destiny responded. "Well, may as well get a move on."

The head of the Order of the Spiral headed into the commons. Once Destiny reached the lake, she stopped running and watched as Ryan and Jason headed into the Shopping District. Very soon she couldn't see them anymore.

* * *

><p>Shortly Ryan had split up from Jason to do his task. But not long at all did he see make out a shape in the Commons. "Dylan?" He called. "Dylan, we've been looking for you. Your siblings are worried, you know."<p>

But as Ryan advanced towards the figure, he realized that it wasn't Dylan. It couldn't be Dylan- He wasn't a foot tall and he certainly didn't have wings.

The Descendant of Storm crouched down to inspect the figure. It was chirping rapidly in gibberish he couldn't understand and ranting at him, but yet the sprite seemed kind of happy. Then Ryan inspected the sprite- then he gasped when he realized just who it was.

* * *

><p>First off Destiny looked through the streets. But all that was in the streets of the Commons was the almost eerie breeze of the wind the sound of the rushing waters going down the waterfall and going into the stream. Destiny decided to mess around for a second, so she picked up a little jagged rock the color of a nut, and threw it in the lake. Destiny grinned as she watched the rock drop in and the ripples came out of the epicenter and made its way through the street, and somehow that usual plunk sound satisfied her more then usual. Perhaps she had just needed to take her anger out somehow.<p>

Destiny crossed the bridge to the area of the Commons and noticed the entrance to Unicorn Way was guarded. But not too well, seeing how the guard was sleeping on the job.

_Man, this place... It just seems to have... Changed._ Destiny thought, at a loss for words even for her own mind. _I remember the Commons- when it wasn't deserted at night and no one was guarding the entrance to Unicorn Way._

What had happened?

Destiny decided to check out the library. As she climbed its stepped she noticed something hanging on the doorknobs. Locked!

She ran up to the doors and tugged at it, hoping something would work. She wished she knew how to pick locks. If only-

Then, as if on cue, Destiny heard a distinct fluttering sound. She turned around and saw a small figure heading her way. Wait a minute-

"Nikki?"

Until now, Destiny hadn't really thought too much of the sprites disappearance. Now she realized how much she had missed her talkback attitude and her company.

_Destiny?_ She heard the chirping voice ask. Sure enough, it was her. And apparently Nikki realized that too.

Nikki rushed up to her. _Well, you haven't seemed to changed,_ She said, grinning.

"Nikki!" Destiny almost yelled in delight. Never had she thought would she be so glad to see the dark sprite. "Where were you? How'd you find me? How are you in this time too?"

_Oh, I found that diviner bloke-_

"Ryan," Destiny corrected. Yup, it sure was Nikki. Nikki didn't think twice about insulting even her allies.

_Whatever. Anyways, I found him in Olde Town while I was desperately looking for Lady Lily-_

"Wait, Lady Lily?" Destiny asked. "That sprite who told on you?"

_Yeah! She's allied herself with that blue-haired turd, now she's still out to get me!_

"How is she communicating with Cody?" Destiny questioned. Then she stopped. "Wait... he's here?"

_Yup._ Nikki said. _Sure is._

When she said that, something flashed in Destiny's head and quickly faded away-

_Another shall turn to the enemy;  
><em>

_Dylan..._

This was it. Those lines of the prophecy were almost complete. Nicholas had died, and now it was very possible that Dylan would join Vladimir and his brew-haha. That was that. They hadn't been able to prevent those lines of the prophecy.

But yet again, who _could _prevent fate?

* * *

><p>"DYLAN!" Emma practically shrieked, tears blinding her eyes. Her hair was matted, dirt and streams of tears on her face.<p>

Connor had never seen her this unruly. She was usually so clean. Emma must really be desperate for Dylan. And Connor couldn't blame her. She had seen unspeakable horrors throught the Ordeal, trapped in time, a brother had died, and within ten minutes another sibling goes missing- and she was only nine.

Connor was the oldest, so he was usually more or less expected to be "The Man of the House" from time to time. And as the oldest, he had to reassure her. But he could barely see that possible, as he couldn't reassure himself. So how was he supposed to tell Emma that things were okay? He knew that Garrett kept trying to do it, but Connor could easily see uncertainaity within the magus's eyes. The diviner girl, Sarai, knew that they were all lost in their own ways, but she didn't know herself what the sorcerers had been through in the past couple of days.

Connor looked up at the dark blue sky. Dark gray clouds seemed to be rolling in, matching the mood of the family. It seemed all was lost, not even a sliver of hope remained- until he heard the magic word.

"Praise the spiral, Dylan!"

Connor stopped sulking and ran towards Garrett's voice. He looked behind and saw Emma was grinning as she ran too. Then they stopped at what they saw.

Dylan was in a ball. Then he slowly rose up and faced them, his face expressing not even the slightest sign of joy.

"Guys... I've... I've found a way." He said.

"A- a way for what?" Emma asked.

"A way for all of us to be brought together once again," Dylan responded.

"We are together," Connor persisted. "Don't you see?"

"No, you're the ones who don't see!" Dylan raised his voice. He took a minute or two for the confused faces of his siblings to sink in. Then he relaxed.

"When I say all of us to be brought together, I mean all of us. Me, you three- and Nicholas."

"Dylan, Nicholas is dead!" Connor said. Instantly he wished he hadn't said it, as if that statement had made it true. "And unfortunately, there's nothing we can do."

* * *

><p>"There is!" Dylan persisted. "A way to bring Nicholas back to life, a way, for all of us, to be truly reunited!" He took a deep breath, and looked at the siblings again. "We need Cody's help if we're going to become one again."<p>

"Who's Cody?" Garrett asked.

A new voice spoke up. "I am," An eleven-year-old boy in black Valkyrie armor, dark eyes, and short, light blue hair entered. Alongside him was a sprite.

Cody stared at each one of them. "I know what has happened to you, all of you," Cody said. "I'll admit, I don't personally know what each and every one of you has been through. But like Dylan said, I can change it."

Cody's eyes swept the audience, as if he were trying to detect people who would speak up. No one did. He proceeded. "All you have to do-"

"Cody!" Another voice joined. The Descendants of Balance recongized Sarai Storm, who looked a little worn. "Cody, Anthony and Antonio are in a fight in the Shopping District! Come on!"

Cody looked at the Descendants again. "Excuse me, I have to go." Cody followed Sarai, and Dylan decided to follow Cody.

* * *

><p>"Nikki, I need you to look for Jason and Ryan," Destiny said. But before she could say anymore, Nikki cut her off.<p>

_Why? I just found you!_

"Nikki, this is urgent," Destiny persisted. "You need to warn Jason and Ryan that Dylan will most likely turn to Vladimir!" Then she looks at the lock shielding access to the library. "Actually, first I need you to pick the lock. You an do that, right?"

_Sure can._

"Then do it, please," Destiny pleaded.

_All right, all right,_ Nikki replied. After a few moments with fumbling with the lock, Nikki flew back over and said, _You're good to go._

"Thanks," Destiny said. "Now go warn Jason and Ryan, please."

_On it,_ Nikki said as she flew away.

Destiny rushed inside the library and looked around. With its banners, many shelves and mechanisms, it didn't seem to have changed from when she last was in it, when she was doing research on Marcus Dawngem. Her attention was diverted to a book laying open on the desk. Destiny approached it and looked at the cover. The book was titled, Great Headmasters and Headmistresses of Ravenwood. She saw the page it was opened on. The page was labled, Merle Ambrose.

Destiny smiled and read some of the biography.

Merle Ambrose was born to Redbeard and Amber Ambrose, both former headmasters, on August 13th, 481 A.C. in Wizard City.

She was stunned. Wait a minute...

She turned back one page and was shocked at what was written on the next page. A picture of a caring woman with red hair into a ponytail was under the header:

Amber Ambrose

Her eyes bugged. Amber was a headmistress? But- not in her day! Was this going to happen in the future? If it was in this book, it had too. But she thought that Redbeard would be on the next page!

She had to face facts. Her world was slowly crumbling down.

But her thoughts were interrupted by heavy panting. _Come quickly!_ Nikki yelled. _Jason and Ryan are in a fight!_

* * *

><p>"Come <em>on<em>, Natalie has to be around here somewhere!" Alexis protested.

"Patience is a virtue," Reminded a bored Chris for about the hundreth time.

"As you keep saying!" Alexis snapped impatiently.

Before Chris could react by lecturing her once more, a new voice arose. "Who's there?"

Alexis and Chris gulped, clamping both of their hands over their mouths. They had just blown their cover... but it was too late. The past was past, and they couldn't change it. So of course clamping their hands over their mouths was completely inneffective when a master diviner with dark eyes, short black hair, and a slightly muscular build that Chris and Alexis didn't recognize seemed to rise out of the shadows, wearing a monk hat and dragonspyre armor and a purple Dragonspyre sword, which Chris recognized as the Galvanic Blade.

"I said, who's there?"

That's when the diviner casted the stormzilla to seek the two out. Its yellow nose sniffed the air, then after a minute, it seemed to pick up a scent- Chris and Alexis' apparently, because right then the stormzilla charged at them.

Right then a minotaur and a centaur popped out of the Myth and Life symbols Chris and Alexis had etched to meet the stormzilla. The minotaur's ax went through the stormzilla's hip, but seemed completely ineffective. However, this encouraged the centaur all the more to send a volley of arrows at the stormzilla, which bore through its chest while the minotaur held it down. As the stormzilla dropped to the ground, dead, the minotaur and the centaur disappeared into the air, having done their jobs.

Alexis saw the the diviner's lips curve into a smile. "There you are."

And now yet another voice arose, and Alexis was half-surprised to find it her own as she stepped out. "Got a problem with that?"

"Yeah. I kinda do."

As the diviner reached for his sword, Alexis took that opportunity to lunge at him, her hip ramming into his chest, knocking him down the the floor.

However, the boy simply brought up his leg behind Alexis and swung it at her backside, hitting her hard. Seeing this, Chris emerged and helped Alexis up after casting a humungofrog at the diviner, who was prepared for this, seeing how he had summoned a shield to defend himself as he used it to cover himself from the vomit the huge green frog puked out, barely damaging him at all. As he protected his head and torso by using his left arm to hold the shield, his right, which had a sword in it, cruelly scribbled a Storm symbol, which fizzled, the ashes falling quickly like snow.

But this didn't bother the diviner. As Chris and Alexis were busy picking new spells, he heaved the shield, landing perfectly in the humongofrog's mouth, suffocating it a little, then the diviner ran his sword through it, and he might have the same intention to do it to the Descendants, seeing as how he ran his swords through the symbols they had made in progress, therefore altering their concentration and having it fizzle as he took them by surprise as he pushed Alexis to the stone ground and attempted to punch Chris, who countered it by using his left arm to grip the diviner's, holding him back as Chris kicked his stomach.

Meanwhile, Alexis swiftly got back up, rushing to her Mooshu wand, which was laying on the floor about ten feet away from her. She ran as fast as she could to it, but to no avail, seeing as how the Storm Wizard beat her to it in a flash and grabbed it, pointing it to her throat as Alexis skidded to a halt from running fast, then noticed that the diviner was pointing the Galvinic Blade at Chris. Then what happened next was unexpected.

The diviner's lips curled into a smile just when another guy crept up behind him, surprising the trio completely as he tackled the diviner, forcing him to drop Alexis' wand and his Galvinic Blade. The guy who had tackled the diviner was someone who yet Chris and Alexis didn't recognize, for he was in black, black hood shrouding his hair and yet also shading his eyes.

"Enough, Jose!" The guy in black snarled.

"What do you think you're doing?" the diviner called Jose countered back.

"Teaching you a lesson!" Yelled the guy in black, who before backtalking pulled down his hood to reveal short blue hair and sky blue eyes. Alexis didn't recognize him, but apparently Chris did.

"Noah?"

Noah's gaze abrubtly swung to the Descendants of Myth and Life. "Go!" He yelled. "I've got Jose!"

"Noah, you just blew your cover!" Chris said urgently as Alexis bent down to pick up her wand. "You'll probably get killed!"

Noah managed a weak smile at them, as if everything was going to be okay. But just blowing his cover and identity as a spy, it may not. As if seeing this suddenly, the magus pyromancer's smile turned serious again. "Just go! I've got Jose covered! Reunite with Jessica and Esmee quickly! They've already found Natalie! Just GO!"

Looking to each other with worried expressions written on their faces, Alexis and Chris solemnly nodded briefly as they ran out of the hall, leaving Noah to fight with Jose, who had broke free from Noah and looked at him menacingly.

"You're going to _get_ it!" Jose yelled, angry, bringing up his blade.

Noah gulped.


	16. Part 9 A Glitch in Time Part 7

**A/N: YES! Only one more part of Part 9 to go before it's done!**

**Don't get me wrong- I love Part 9 since it's where the quality of writing really begins to improve and this is where TNM starts to be mature. But sometimes, I really, really, REALLY hate it just because of the sheer_ length_ of it.**

**Thanks fanficreader137, DeathySophia (I saw your comment on Central, BTW!), and Nick Cronwell! You guys are amazing!**

* * *

><p><em>The Necromancer's Matter, Part 9; A Glitch in Time (Part 7)<em>

Before Nikki could say anything more, Destiny was already out of the library, running towards the shopping district, gripping her Scavenger's Staff of Sagas as if it were a lifeline.

_Must... get... to... Jason... and... Ryan..._

That's what was in Destiny's head as she entered the shopping district, and by the fountain she found that Nikki's words were true- Jason was locked in combat with Anthony while Ryan was holding off Antonio, Noah's cousin. Fire symbols after Fire symbols rang in the air, both of the pyromancer's having no better idea then to constantly bring helephants to life. Antonio had just been able to cast a Guiding Light as Ryan's spell fizzled, allowing Antonio time to trace the Life symbol again, this time bringing up a seraph. However Ryan seemed to be holding his own against the magus theurgist, while Jason and Anthony weren't making much progress. So Destiny rushed to help them when she was caught back by surprise.

Jason screamed in fury at Anthony, and then the next sight was horrific- fire poured out of Jason's mouth and other fist, sparks zooming the air and some landing on Destiny's shirt.

Fireballs came out of Jason's fists, all aimed for Anthony, who backed away in surprise, trying to dodge the fire. Anthony had brought up a Fire Shield, but it seemed to be doing no good to the fire that Jason was summoning without a symbol, without a staff- without magic.

Yet it was magic. How else would Jason be able to summon fire without a spark or ash without creating a monster from a spell? It just popped out of nowhere, and fire seemed to surround Jason and Anthony as Jason advanced towards the master, barely any emotion displayed on his face. Jason didn't carry his Dragon Rider Staff- he just went out there with his bare hands, and he didn't even lift them up as more fire seemed to surge from his mind and into the real world, fireball after fireball aimed for Anthony, yet none actually hitting Anthony- instead it hit the dye and shoe shops, unmaintained due to the late hour. Fire lit up the night and wreathed the battle between Anthony and the Descendant of Fire in red and orange.

Jason was now looming over Anthony, clearly worried for his sake and backing away on the ground. The Descendant of Fire brought up his arm, all of a sudden flames dancing on it, and as he was about to bring it down on Anthony it was interrupted by a cry, which Destiny had found to be her own.

"Jason!"

The pyromancer turned his attention to her and as he did so, the fire seemed to soften, and apparently Antonio and Ryan's battle had ceased to turn and watch Jason bring up the flames.

A look of concern and compassion replaced his emotionless face, and gradually it seemed that the fire ceased a little bit, and on top of it, Jason looked as if he were going to pass out. Jason had gone from a vicious battler into an understanding guy in barely a second. Jason took notice of the fire around them, which were slowly beginning to die down.

Jason breathed hard as he seemed to be done taking notice of his surroundings. "What... what happened?"

"Dude, you were out of control!" Ryan suddenly yelled. "There was a whole bunch of fire that you generated, and you did it without spells! It didn't come from flint or sparks or anything either!"

Jason took a moment to register this and tears streamed from his eyes a bit, as if realizing and taking notice of the monster he had been. He drew in ragged breaths, another stream of tears going down his soot-stained face. Jason turned to Anthony, who was still on the ground, cowering from Jason in fear.

But Antonio didn't, for he took no mercy and casted a centaur, already nocking an arrow at a surprised Jason, and to cover for him, Destiny quickly summoned a Skeletal Pirate, just in time for it to rush up in between the centaur and Jason, and just as the arrow was released the pirate blocked it with the flat of its sword. But the pirate met its match soon enough, for there was another pirate who lunged for it, sending Destiny to quickly turn around to find Cody Shadowstrider grinning menacingly, the near-grandmaster advancing near them.

"What did I miss?" Cody asked, confusion seeming to take over his face. The confusion quickly died as he grinned. "By the way, I've brought a friend."  
>That's when a boy in white clothes with dark, dark skin, short white hair and chocolate-brown eyes stepped out behind him, looking fairly nervous and ashamed, and Destiny's heart softened a little bit when she saw him.<p>

"Dylan," She barely mangaged.

Dylan took a deep breath and pointed his wand at the head of the Order of the Spiral, switching from Destiny, to Jason, then to Ryan as he said, "For the right reasons. You guys lied to me! You all are wizard scum!"

"We didn't lie to you!" Ryan's voice rose. "We told you what was going to happen! We warned you about the death of one of your siblings! We took you in-"

"You didn't take me in!" Dylan yelled. "Garrett took you in! AND HE NEVER SHOULD HAVE!"

"Dylan, I know that Nicholas has died," Jason cut in, "but nothing can change that. Fate has already took its course."

"Then I hate fate as much as I hate YOU THREE!" Dylan screamed.

"Guys, I hate to be the party pooper," Cody interrupted. "But I'm bored. How about some fighting?"

Just then Cody released a scarecrow, something that Destiny had only seen once or twice from Vladimir and Neela. With barely a second to think, she conjured up a Death Shield and quickly observed who Cody was aiming at- Ryan. So she threw the shield at one of the Descendants of Storm, but missed.

Ryan picked it up and raised it just in time to partly block the scarecrow's attacks.

Antonio casted a sandstorm at Destiny and Jason, and because they had not been prepared, yes, it did damage them. As it died down, both of them summoned fire- Destiny by sunbird, and Jason by using his mind trick as he threw a fireball at Antonio, who seemed fairly surprised, taking him aback, which gave the duo the opportunity to throw more spells at the theurgist while Ryan attempted to hold Cody off, who Dylan was joining. Anthony was still speechless from Jason's fire tricks, still on the ground as if he were rooted there- Jason seemed to have truly terrified him.

And the sound of spells in the air, the fire flickering and the aura of warfare spreading seemed to have died immediately when a shrill voice screamed,

"STOP!"

Destiny quickly turned around to see a master diviner with chocolate brown skin and eyes, with long white hair, wearing a purple and white monk's hat and Dragonspyre armor. Cody seemed to have recognized her though, because he muttered, "Sarai... Oh geez."

The girl Cody identified as Sarai yelled again. "What're you doing? Who caused this?"

Antonio and Anthony looked a little ashamed of themselves when they heard Sarai scolding them like a mother scolding her son for stealing candy from a baby. The remaining Descendants of Balance emerged behind her, as did a girl purely in white- with the exception of her purple eyes, reminding Destiny of an athemist.

Finally Destiny broke the silence. "Who are you?" It was directed at the white girl.

The girl smiled. "My name is Taryn. I have the power to get every single one of you back to your own time."

It seemed as if the air had been knocked out of Destiny. Ryan's eyes bugged, and Jason tried to disguise his shock by raising an eyebrow and asking, "How?"

Taryn's lips formed a genuine smile. "That, I cannot tell, for the secret of this particular magic is ancient and has been lost for a time."

"Well, never mind that," Destiny suddenly spoke up. "What I'm wondering is if you can do it. Because if you can, then prove it."

Taryn maintained her smile. "I remember Sarai here asking the very same thing a day or so back. I refused to do it because not all of you were here. But-"

Taryn's gaze went to Sarai, Cody, Antonio, Anthony, Emma, Connor, Garrett, Jason, Dylan, Ryan, and finally, Destiny, and Taryn's gaze seemed serious and punctured into her, as if trying to send her a vital message, and Destiny could see a look of worry yet hope in her eyes when she saw Destiny, "since now all of you are here, I can do it. I only will if you agree to stop the fighting."

Everyone hastily nodded.

Taryn nodded her approval, her smile suddenly fading as she marched into the very center of the Shopping District. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Then her eyes opened suddenly, giving it a creepy, haunted, paranormal look as she said, "Then let the process begin."

* * *

><p>Huffing, Chris and Alexis ran side by side until-<p>

Until they found them. A thautamerge with long auburn hair and blue eyes wearing Marleybonian clothes, a necromancer with jet-black hair and blue eyes wearing black and red Mooshu clothes, and someone they had been eagerly hoping to see again- a girl with dark skin, light blue hair and gray eyes in purple and white Mooshu armor.

The next moments were blurred with joy and happiness, but Chris could make out that Esmee and Jessica were smiling and laughing wholeheartedly together but tired, their differences put aside- for now. Alexis and Natalie giving one another a girl hug, and Chris stood there, smiling at the happy reunion.

And, it seemed for a moment right there, that things were going to be okay. That it was going to be all right. They had succeeded in their goal. They had united once more. Sure, Destiny, Jason and Ryan were in a different time, but Chris was confident that it would get sorted out.

But quickly things got grim.

"Noah," Chris breathed.

The girls paused and turned to look at Chris, a look of determination and hardness on his face.

"Noah," He repeated. "Noah Firewielder blew his cover just so Alexis and I could escape from a diviner called Jose."

Alexis bent her head solemnly.

Chris smiled a little. "But don't worry Alexis." He said. "Noah saved us,"

The next words sent all of them with a new determination and new goal. Something that they had to do otherwise nothing would go right.

"So we're going to do the same."

* * *

><p>Vladimir Thorn was rushing everything and running everywhere, hoping to protect his home and base from crumbling to the Order of the Spiral.<p>

He tried veraciously to stop them from flowing down his cheeks- he could barely watch. It was his home, after all.

But his thoughts were quickly interrupted by a girl with long black hair (not tied in its usual ponytail) and amber eyes in black and red Valkyrie Dragonspyre armor. Neela. She looked worn and shivering a little bit- maybe the Descendant of Ice's powers had an effect on her. The soles of her boots were covered in a purple liquid- Kracken blood.

"What is it?" Vladimir asked.

Neela took a deep breath and said, "They found her! They found Natalie! They took her along and are nearing escape! I'm sorry, I fai-"

Vladimir gripped her shoulders, and Neela expected a slap or something most villains did in books. But when she look into his eyes, all she saw was concern and worry for his childhood friend. "Neela, stop. Calm down." He said encouragingly and sympathetically yet stern and forceful. "It wasn't you. It was the Order- they simply overpowered you that time, especially with Esmee's newfound power." Vladimir released Neela's shoulders and asked calmly, "You do know about them, right?"

Neela nodded her understanding, trying not to show the fright in her eyes.

But Vladimir easily found it, forcing him to recall the time they had first met, three or four years back...

_"Stop it!"  
><em>

_Twelve-year-old and newly oriented novice necromancer Vladimir Thorn, grief stricken, looked over to his right and saw a girl a bit younger then him in novice fire robes backing away from a trio of grandmaster necromancers. They were bullies of Ravenwood- Oran Nighthunter, Ally Shadowbreeze and Galen Darkspell.  
>Oran pushed the fire student back, his red hair seeming to glisten along with his amber eyes remarkably similar to the girl in the Fire robes- for she had long black hair, was a little short and had narrow, light amber eyes.<br>_

_Oran laughed. "Or what, puny novice?" He pushed the Fire girl down onto the pavement, and as he did so, a chorus of laughter erupted from the trio of bully necromancers. As the girl tried to get up, Oran simply pushed her back down again, and they laughed once more.  
><em>

_"Oran, stop it," Ally pretended to sympathize, her long golden hair pushing on her shoulder. "I mean, isn't the girl weak enough? She is a novice! They can't even help themselves, those noobs!"  
><em>

_Oran, Ally and Galen laughed again.  
><em>

_Rage burned within Vladimir, a fire within him flaring. The Fire girl's black hair... it reminded him too much of her._

Llewella.

I'm doing this for you.

_"Hey! Stop it!" Vladimir yelled, approaching the twelve-year-olds.  
><em>

_Oran, Ally and Galen all turned their gazes to him, and for a second Vladimir was nervous and unsure that he should have said that. But then he quickly regained his confidence as Oran asked, "What? Did you say?"  
><em>

_Vladimir grinned along with them. "You heard me. Stop it! Or do you need your ears checked?" The novice pretended to think about it for a minute then grinned wickedly as he added, "Oh yeah, that's right, I forgot. You don't have any."  
><em>

_Galen rolled up his sleeves and balled up his fists, but Oran didn't even turn his head around as his arm blocked the dark-haired boy's way. Then Oran advanced towards Vladimir, making sure to tower over him. "Going up to us, you might not have any yourself."  
><em>

_Ally and Galen laughed to encourage Oran, but instead Vladimir maintained his confidence and countered, "You're just using my insults? Man, you cowards might want to take classes on insultation."  
><em>

_Ally and Galen Ooohed as Oran raised his eyebrows and asked softly and forcefully, "What did you just call us?"  
><em>

_"Coward. You heard right. I called you a coward." Vladimir pointed out. "And I'll do it some more. Liar. Bully. Good-for-nothing."  
><em>

_Oran was starting to look mad. "You're starting to get it!"  
><em>

_Then he punched Vladimir, knocking him to the ground. Ally and Galen followed shortly, kicking him in between them as if he were some sort of ball.  
><em>

_"AAAAH!"  
><em>

_Oran barely had time to register the cry when all of a sudden, the girl, now in black and red and hair flowing down, tackled him and tackled him hard. Vladimir got up as Oran was knocked down, with the girl in Death robes furiously swiping at him.  
><em>

_"You... don't... mess... with... me... ever... AGAIN!" She yelled between punches and kicks, and Oran was helpless, and Vladimir, Ally and Galen made no move- they just stood there, surprised at the sudden change of the girl.  
><em>

_The girl was seething with rage, eyes filled with fury all the while the only thing Oran's eyes displayed was fear. But nontheless, the girl continued.  
><em>

_"You think you're so smart!" The girl screamed. "But get this, son of a banshee!" Vladimir couldn't believe she had just sweared, "You just dug your own grave right there!"  
><em>

_"Please, no!" Oran begged. "Please!"  
><em>

_"No!" The girl screamed right in his face, kicking him. "I will not stop! When you pushed me down and I begged for mercy, did you give it to me? DID YOU?" She kicked him again.  
><em>

_Oran was wheezing now- he probably couldn't handle it anymore. He looked half-dead... all because he had attempted to pick on a seemingly mindless girl.  
><em>

_"Wh- who are you?" Oran asked fearfully in a mix of a stutter and wheezing.  
><em>

_"A fighter," The girl snarled, "giving you what you deserve!" She laughed. "It's funny- you're acting like the victim now! Hiding your lies and disguising yourself!"  
><em>

_Now the girl was barely inches away from his face. "I'll stop. Because I have to thank you- you made me infinitely stronger and smarter today." She stepped away from him, and it took him a minute or two to regain his strength to sit up.  
><em>

_"Don't you dare mess with me again!" The girl hissed right in his face, spitting on him. "Because believe me, I'll remember. I'll remember, all right. Now run. Run like the spiteful coward you always have been!"  
><em>

_Oran hastilly nodded, picked himself up and ran like the wind.  
><em>

_The girl in Death robes turned her attention to Ally and Galen. "You want it too?" She threatened.  
><em>

_They both shook their heads and ran.  
><em>

_The girl smiled, then turned her attention to Vladimir. But unlike the previous three, at him, she smiled. "Hey. You had guts."  
><em>

_Vladimir relaxed. He had thought that the girl was going to harass him to get the helephant out of there, but apparently not. "Um... yeah. I guess I did."  
><em>

_The girl smiled again, this time genuine. "You stood up to them-"  
><em>

_"So did you," Vladimir pointed out.  
><em>

_"Yeah, but you inspired me to rise up."  
><em>

_"I- I did?"  
><em>

_The girl elbowed him and laughed. "Didn't I just say that?" She looked at him for a moment, everything in the spiral serene and tranquil for one moment of silence, then said, "I'm Neela. Neela Waterpetal. Student of... Death."  
><em>

_Vladimir nodded. "Vladimir Thorn."_

The flashback was interrupted. "Vladimir!"

He recognized the voice. "Jose? Did you find them?"

"Yes, and something else," Jose appeared now with a guy in black with blonde hair, his eyes closed, Jose's arm over Noah's neck. Noah looked unconscious and had a bloody nose.

Vladimir stepped forward. "What the-"

"He's a traitor! A spy! Noah has worked for the Order of the Spiral all along!"

* * *

><p>Taryn took a deep breath and lifted her arms, then brought them back down again.<p>

She's not doing magic with a wand, staff or sword, Destiny observed. Hand magic. Have to be pretty powerful to do that.

But Destiny's thoughts were interrupted, because a symbol she had never seen before appeared in front of Taryn. It was a white symbol, that looked like the basic hourglass outline, an upside-down triangle's tip connecting to the tip of another triangle. Then it broke and a white portal appeared in the air, like a swirling, white black hole.

"Here we are."

* * *

><p>The Descendants ran like heck, running away from the entrance on the slim hope that they'd find Noah.<p>

Then they saw him. He looked unconscious, in Jose's arms, which couldn't be good. Neela and Vladimir were near.

"What do we do?" Alexis squeaked.

"Simple," Esmee said. She looked down on her hand and grinned.

"Esmee, fancy freezing isn't an option!" Jessica hissed. "Didn't you see? It had no effect on Neela! It stopped in midair by the time it got a foot near her!"

"Maybe not," Esmee admitted. "But observe those stone pillars. I can freeze those..."

Then Esmee whispered her plan to everyone.

"Pretty good," Chris mused.

"What can I say?" Esmee shrugged. "I'm the Descendant of Ice. I'm awesome that way."

Then the five rose up and ran towards Jose, Vladimir and Neela. Chris landed and cast a minotaur at Vladimir while Alexis started to cast the Life symbol, aiming for Neela. Jessica went head on for Jose and wrestled with him for a bit. Esmee got to work coating the pillars in ice, and Natalie guarded Esmee.

Jessica jammed her thumb into Jose's eye then punched him in the stomach, forcing to release his hold on Noah, who was now awake- a little.

"Whaz heppin...?" Noah groggily asked.

"Why do you need to know again?" Jessica answered as she ran with Noah's arm on her shoulders, limping along.

Neela lunged for Natalie, who swung her staff and tripped Neela, with a new confidence that she had never had before. She poked her staff into Neela's stomach knocked her to the ground, not bothering to do anymore damage.

Chris and Vladimir were locked in combat, with Myth and Death eagerly awaiting each other with constant wraiths and minotaurs summoned. The minotaurs ax clashed with the wraith's ax like a swordfight. Finally the wraith chopped off the minotaur's head, the body of the human collapsing to the ground, and the wraith evaporating into air as it grinned with it's skeletal teeth in satisfaction.

For some reason, for Chris, he lost it.

He screamed in a deadly combonation of fury and rage and out popped in midair a Mooshu sword, which he barely caught. Then popped out blue and white Mooshu armor which immediately assembled themselves over his current set of clothing as he advanced towards Vladimir, furiously swinging the sword.

Vladimir took a step back or two. "What the-"

Out came of the air a hatchet, which launched itself at Natalie's hand, who immidiately started hacking away at a pillar that Esmee had already coated completely in ice, and it started to tremble a bit, weakening.

As Vladimir was distracted by this, just like that, a Myth symbol appeared in front of Chris, and out came an earthquake that shook the whole room, and Vladimir struggled to maintain his balance.

Then somehow, the sword that had popped out of the air launched itself at Vladimir, who spun around and dodged, it barely missing his head and sticking itself into the wall instead.

Immediately another sword popped out of nowhere, which threw itself at Vladimir.

During then the pillars started to crumble down, thanks to Esmee and Natalie.

"Run!" Natalie screamed as they all broke out into a run, going as fast as the wind, avoiding the crumbling ceiling that Neela, Vladimir and Jose were trapped in.

They soon saw Jessica, who looked relieved to see them. "GET OUT!" She screamed with Noah at her side, half unconscious.

And with that, they ran like the wind out of the doors of Thorn Manor and into the setting of Marleybone, with dawn erupting, the sign of a new day there.

After they had put enough distance between them, Esmee huffed, "I can't believe it. We did it."


	17. Part 9 A Glitch in Time Part 8

**A/N: Whew! And Part 9 is . . . done! **

**I love Part 9, yet at the same time I loathe it. It was very difficult to write, and so long . . . now comes in Part 10! I must admit, Part 10 was by far the funnest and easiest Part to write, and I think that'll really show as the writing really improves in that. **

**DeathySophia: Lol, I never thought of it that way before . . . and Zuko FTW!**

**fanficreader137: Hehe, sorry. I had to post it before I went away to Camp myself...**

**wizard101wyverngirl: Wow, this inspired you to start writing fanfiction? I'm honored, I'm really, really, truly honored to play that part. :)**

* * *

><p><em>The Necromancer's Matter, Part 9; A Glitch in Time (Part 8)<em>

Taryn turned back. "Now's your chance. It will shut down within a matter of minutes. The more energy I have, the longer this will remain, because this is a more of an over time spell, like Fire Elf. So hurry."

She turned to Cody, Dylan, Antonio and Anthony. "You guys will go first- I cannot endanger the rest."

Taryn had barely finished her sentence when Antonio had already gone through the portal.

Cody smirked. "May as well," He said as he strode towards the portal. Before he did though, Cody turned around and gave the Head of the Order a look that said, _This isn't over._

Clearly it wasn't. But it soon would be, Destiny reminded herself.

But how did she know that? Maybe it was a gut feeling, maybe it was something she was sure of. Destiny didn't know how she knew it, but it would be over soon.

But not now it wasn't.

Destiny had been so lost in her thoughts that she had barely noticed when Anthony clammered up to Jason. "T-take this," He said as he handed Jason a red piece of something that was almost like a perfect oval. There seemed to be a fire flickering inside it.

Jason breathed. "You can't be serious..." He looked to Anthony. "Do you know what this is?"

Anthony didn't seem to know, but Destiny sure did.

The Fire Shard.

"No, I don't," Anthony stated. "But- just don't do that to me again, okay?"

Jason nodded. "I won't."

Anthony nodded, the two moons of Wizard City glistening on the streams of tears that had ran down on his face as he slowly walked backwards towards the portal, then he turned around and eagerly went through, not looking back.

Emma, Connor and Garrett walked over to Dylan, who hesitated. "Are you staying with us... or what?"

A minute passed before Dylan rapidly shook his head. Looking back all the way, he stepped through the portal to join Anthony.

Right then, the grim words of the Prophecy of Fire ran through Destiny's head once more.

_One shall fail the test;_

It had referred to Nicholas Ashwielder, Descendant of Balance and twin of Dylan. He had loved and cherished his siblings over anything else. It hadn't been fair that it was he who ended up dying.

_And it wouldn't have been for nothing._ Destiny vowed.

_One shall turn to the enemy;_

Out of vengeance and grief for his twin, Dylan Nightfinder had looked to Cody Shadowstrider for help. He had made bad choices... but really, who could blame him? Dylan had been in a state of pure grief- and made rash decisons that would affect his life.

"Descendants of Balance," Taryn called, and the siblings looked to her. "You may have as well joined the Order, but it is best to get back to your home, for now."

Garrett, Connor and Emma nodded. As they walked up to the portal, all holding hands together, Taryn stopped them with a sad expression. "I am truly sorry for the loss of Nicholas. He would have had a bright future ahead of him."

They nodded solemnly to Taryn, but then looked over to Destiny, Jason and Ryan with little smiles. And it relieved Destiny to know that even with Nicholas gone, they would be okay and manage to move on.

And so they did. It seemed as if stepping through the portal assured that. And there they were, gone in the bright white light.

"Sarai," Taryn said. "You were very eager to go home. Now you are able to do so."

Sarai ran up without hesitation or looking back whatsoever.

Taryn now looked at the final three. "Ryan. Go. You will meet up with your sister shortly."

This encouraged Ryan a lot as he practically plunged in headfirst into the portal.

Now Taryn looked over to Nikki and Lady Lily, who Destiny had realized just then had been fighting... or doing whatever. She didn't know. Taryn beckoned towards the portal with her head. Lady Lily fluttered in, but Nikki remained at Destiny's side.

Not just yet, She said. I'm staying by your side. I will fight and defend.

Destiny looked down at Nikki and smiled at the backtalking sprite. However rude she may be at times, it was very comforting for her to say it.

And not just for Nikki to say it, but the fact that it was true.

"Jason." Taryn said. "You have the Order of the Spiral to manage. Best you meet up with them and your best friend, the Descendant of Myth."

"How do you know this?" Jason asked.

Taryn chuckled. "As superstitious as Fire, I see. You remind me so much of her."

Jason's eyebrows rose, and so did Destiny's. "Wait... you knew my ancestor."

Taryn chuckled. "I know many things, Jason Stormflame, Descendant of Fire, Grandmaster Pyromancer."

"Okay, you were just showing off right there," Jason pointed out. Then he got back to business. "But who are you?"

"That, my friend," Taryn answered, "will be answered another day. Another time. It is not now." She quickly looked to the white portal, which was starting to flicker a bit. "Go now, Jason Stormflame, while I have the energy left."

Jason nodded and ran through with the Fire Shard in his hand.

"Nikki, the Dark Sprite," Taryn said. "You have to go through now. My energy will be wasted soon, and I will have to talk with Destiny in private. She will follow shortly, do not worry."

Nikki nodded, took a look back at Destiny, and flew through.

Taryn looked to Destiny after Nikki had fluttered through. "You are last," She observed, as if she hadn't noticed it before.

"No duh."

"Seagem," Taryn said, and Destiny being referred to by her last name creeped her out a little bit, "now is not a time to fool around. Great horrors will await all of you. Some might say this is the end, but... this is merely the beginning of your true trials."

"Good to know."

"And about knowing," Taryn began as Destiny edged near the portal. "soon you will find out... everything. Things that are barely hinted to Wizardkind, wonderful things you and everyone else will discover. But at a price- there will be more lives taken- Nicholas was merely the start. And he was right- a world will fall. Stop the Thorns before it gets too late!"

Destiny nodded, then looked at the portal- it was starting to die.

"Go while I've got the last bit of energy left," Taryn warned.

"What about you?"

Taryn smiled. "Oh, don't worry about me. I have my ways- I summoned this, so I can summon another one in due time."

Destiny nodded to Taryn as she said, "You're not who you seem to be." It was not a question- it was a hard statement.

Taryn shook her head. "No. I am not. Now go."

Destiny looked behind her once more and sure enough, it was starting to close. Panicked, she hurried and took one last look at Taryn as white light blinded her eyes-

And she was at her cottage, with Ryan, Nikki and Jason waiting. But something else was waiting- something that her heart fell at when she saw the sight.

Her cottage that Esmee had given her after their journey in Grizzlehiem was burned down.

It was a wreck.

The ceiling had collapsed and the walls were black instead of the bright brown-gold it had been, a bit like a skeleton. Some of the wall had been evaporated and was still falling apart. All the furniture were merely debris and ash, some so badly charred that you couldn't even recognize it anymore.

The sight was enough for her breath to be squeezed out of her and she tried to hold her own.

Jason came up and laid a hand on Destiny's shoulder. "I'm sorry. We'll rebuild it."

Destiny nodded and knew at once that Jason's words were true. "Yes. We will."

But then her sadness was suddenly replaced by a sudden happiness as six people came into view as they teleported there.

Chris, Jessica, Esmee, Alexis, Natalie and a little surprisingly, Noah with dried up blood surrounding his nose.

Oh sheesh.

"What happened?" Jason asked whereas Ryan rushed to Natalie and Destiny rushed to Esmee. "You're back!" They shouted simultaneously.

Ryan was about to hug Natalie when all of a sudden Natalie backed up. "Hold up, just go easy on me, okay?" She asked. "I have a broken arm." Natalie diverted her attention to her arm.

Ryan's face immediately paled. "Alexis!" He said. "Nat has a broken arm!"

"Really?" Alexis asked. "I didn't know! Natalie sure didn't act like it."

"Heh, seeing isn't believing," Natalie reminded. "You should know that by now."

"Nevermind," Alexis replied. "Just let me take a look at it and see what I can do. Ryan, you may want to come along, after all, she is your sister."

Ryan hastily nodded and joined the two girls.

Destiny turned to Esmee, both of them unsure what to do now that they were reunited. Sure, minutes ago they would have given almost anything to see their cousin again, but now it was a bit akward.

But then, as if on cue, they both rushed up to each other and hugged as if there were no tomorrow. And out of a peek of her eye, Destiny saw Jason and Chris a bit unsure like them, then observed them smiling and patting another on the back.

Soon both duos let go to get back to business, for even at this moment they had things to discuss.

* * *

><p>"So, Neela used the word auras, right?" Jessica asked.<p>

Esmee nodded. "I'm pretty sure that's what she called my ability."

"So Esmee's... Aura... is to freeze things," Destiny didn't know what to call it for a second, but then quickly reminded herself what it was called.

"And there was this incident with Jason," Ryan piped up. Ryan had stayed at Natalie's side for a bit as he had observed Alexis tend to her, but the siblings had quickly caught up and now Ryan was no longer worried about her. "He was just shooting fireballs everywhere, but not with magic. It was more of his will and personality, his drive."

"Maybe that could be his Aura," Noah mused. Some of the area below his nose was a dark, dark red from the dried blood, but for the time being he was pretty much okay. "Setting fire to things."

Ryan nodded. "So Auras are powers of the Descendants. Esmee's Aura is to freeze things, and Jason's is to set fire to things with his mind."

"Wait, what about Natalie?" Jessica pointed out. "Remember that huge storm front and her being lifted into the air? That's Natalie's Aura, calling up massive storms. What other explaination is there?"

Esmee nodded her understanding. She too had witnessed it, so she understood the Descendant of Death's theory.

"So we've got three out of eleven Descendants who have discovered their Auras," Jason observed. "Natalie, Esmee and myself."

"What about me?" Ryan asked. "If my sister has an Aura, than so do I."

"Well, you are a Descendant," Jason pointed out, "but there are two of you, and Natalie's already discovered her Aura, so honestly Ryan, there may be a chance that you won't have one."

Ryan nodded. "I understand."

Destiny knew that Ryan was trying to hold it together and all, but she could sense that he was growing jealous of Natalie and wanted a power of his own. She knew how he felt- but at least he was a Descendant.

Was Destiny wishing that she were a Descendant?

She was. Maybe facing the Ordeal would be bad, sure, but having such great and noble lineage would be awesome, as if she were royalty. And now they had the will to do such awesome things. Even her cousin was one.

That's when Destiny observed- Esmee was a Descendant. And Destiny was her cousin, so they shared part of the same blood.

So what did that make her? Did that make her a Descendant or just a regular girl related to one?

Most likely the latter.

Alexis and Natalie walked over to the group discussing the Auras. "Not to mention Chris," Alexis pointed out as she joined them, Natalie shortly following with a cast around her left arm. "You should have seen him when we were rescuing Noah. There were a bunch of swords popping in the air by Chris' side and the swords were hurling themselves at Vladimir."

Chris nodded. "I don't exactly know how I did that- I just wanted to strike Vladimir with something offensive, something unexpected- and I guess I did."

"So what I'm seeing is that Chris can bring things to life," Jason understood. "So basically, if he wanted a chair, he'd get a chair at will."

"Not to mention he can control the objects," Natalie recalled. "The swords were hurling themselves at Vladimir."

Somehow, that's when Destiny remembered something.

"What about the Descendants of Balance?" She suddenly asked. "Nicholas... before he died, he could change grass to sand with a rub of his hands. And Nicholas could change it back to grass again."

"Who's Nicholas?" Chris asked.

"Someone great," Destiny replied. "Nice, caring... he was the wrong person to die."

Jason, Ryan and Destiny quickly told the rest of the Order about their experiences, as did Natalie, Alexis, Chris, Esmee, Jessica and Noah. Nikki tried to add in a few lines, but only Destiny could understand her, so the effort was practically useless. But Destiny recognized her effort to tell about Lily, so Destiny hurridly added that too. Even though she had been in a rush, Nikki was satisfied with Destiny's effort.

"Wow," Chris raised his eyebrows. "And we thought we had an adventure," He muttered.

Ryan chuckled. "Oh believe me, you did. You got to get into a fist fight with others!" He was reffering to Chris and Alexis's fight with Jose.

"True, but you're the one who got stuck in time!" Alexis protested.

Destiny smiled as she watched Chris, Ryan and Alexis argue about who got the better adventure. Things seemed normal now, not as if they were recovering from their darkest times yet.

Because it seemed that they knew that things would be better... or would they? There was still the mystery of Taryn. Who was she? How was she able to travel in time? How'd she know about the Shards? Would they encounter Cody again now that he proved just what he was made of? How would the Balance Descendants get exactly caught up in this? Would Dylan be okay? Whose side was Sarai on? And most importantly, what had Taryn meant when she said that she would find out everything?

_Soon you will find out... everything. Things that are barely hinted to Wizardkind, wonderful things you and everyone else will discover._

So what did that mean? Obviously that meant that there were things to find out, no duh. But how? Could she seek out the other five founding members of the Order of the Spiral? But Taryn had said everything else... was there something that no one had discovered? Ever?

Then she recalled more of Taryn's wisdom- But at a price- more lives will be taken. Nicholas was merely the start. And he's right- a world will fall.

Those words really bothered Destiny, punched so many holes in her as if she were a piece of paper and the words were a hole puncher. More lives taken? Did this mean that she would die? By pushing down Vladimir Thorn on the day of her orientation... did she seal her fate on that dreadful day?

Then she realized- it shouldn't be her that she worried about. What about the rest of the Order of the Spiral? Would they die? Destiny didn't want this to end as it had with the Balance Descendants.

Destiny was cut off from her thoughts by Jessica approaching her. "Uh, hey," She said.

She understood Jessica's reluctance. Destiny had the same feeling, most likely received from the fight they had before Destiny had even got the dream.

In turn, Destiny nodded and made eye contact with the other necromancer, jade green making contact with blue.

And that was the only conversation they needed, making up for the fight in the Commons after she had attacked Sophia.

They both smiled, and Jessica turned her head, and Destiny did likewise to see most of the Order of the Spiral filing out. Jessica was shortly out of the cottage too, leaving Destiny and Nikki alone with a skeleton of a cottage.

Nicholas had died. Dylan had turned to the Descendants of Valkoor. Noah had been found out. Natalie's arm was broken. The Balance Descendants had faced tragedy brutally.

Yet Destiny knew that everything was going to be all right.

* * *

><p>Vladimir was alone in his room, staring at the picture of a girl whose image he had memorized.<p>

He looked at it every night, to remember just what he was fighting for, to make sure she wasn't forgotten.

The girl with the long black hair and bright blue eyes was his only thing to keep him going after all these years spent alone. Sure, he had found Neela. But even she couldn't make up for the loss of her.

"I will be seeing you again," Vladimir vowed.

Nothing was going to get in the way of that. Vladimir would make sure of it.

End of Part 9


	18. Part 10 Thorn and Descendant Part 1

**A/N: Thanks to fanficreader137 and Wizard101girl12 for reviewing! Now, onto Part 10.**

* * *

><p><em>The Necromancer's Matter, Part 10; Thorn and Descendant (Part 1)<em>

The alarm clock rang its ear deafening ring. Or at least, it was ear deafening to Llewella Carson.

Her black hair swept in front of her face, forcing her to brush it off her pale skin so her aqua-blue eyes could read the time-

6:10.

Llewella groaned. That early? She thought. She didn't have to get up till 6:30 at the latest, so why now?

Llewella reluctantly got up and pushed down the snooze button, and quickly retreated to her bed. Well, as quickly as a fourteen-going-on-fifteen-tired-girl could. She closed her eyes and opened them again, just as tired as before. She turned her head to look at the clock again.

7:15!

Suddenly Llewella wasn't tired- she was pumped. She had to get to her bus stop, and quickly- the bus left in ten minutes!

Quickly Llewella threw on a dark green, longsleeved shirt and quickly stuffed her long legs into jeans, the tanktop she was wearing in her sleep showing just a tiny bit under her shirt. Llewella ran to the laundry room and picked two random socks out of the basket- one was a dark brown, one was a light green. But today Llewella didn't care about whether or not socks matched- she needed to get to her stop.

In the living room was her green messenger bag. She quickly heaved it onto one of her shoulders and cried to her adoptive parents, "Gotta run!"

"But you haven't eaten breakfast yet!" Her mom wailed. "You'll grow hungry! You need food for that Geometry test you were studying for!"

"Relax, I'll get it at school!" Llewella called back again as she yanked the doorknob and looked out into the street, the wind a heavy breeze. Llewella probably needed a sweater for this weather, but sadly there was no time.

"See ya!" She called as she closed the door behind her. Llewella started running as fast as she could, the sky not having cracked sunrise yet.

* * *

><p>Cody Shadowstrider pushed the door to the Bazzar open and strode proudly to the wand section. In the past four months since he had been stuck in the future, he had rapidly gone up to master- and was very close to Grandmaster. So of course he needed *a new weapon to celebrate the occasion.<p>

Cody strode along the line of Death wands, staffs and swords- and laid eyes on one staff in particular. It seemed to call to him, as if it were destined for him.

Cody reached his left arm out to grab it (he was left-handed), and as he did it felt as if it was right to do, and something- Cody couldn't put his finger on it- was pushing him towards the staff. When it was in his hand, it felt nice, made of dark obsidian stone mined from the Dark Cave. It was rough, as if sending a message that it wasn't to be messed with through its touch.

It felt... right.

Cody observed the staff fully. It was a little taller than him and at the top of it was llike a mini statue that showed off the head and torso of a grim reaper. The rest of it was a very long, pole-like handle that the centerpiece rested on. As Cody's hand slid down the handle he could feel it getting thinner and thinner until the end reminded Cody of a toothpick.

Indeed it was destined for him. Cody knew it as he remembered the name of the staff-

Terminus.

Cody gladly paid the four thousand gold required and quickly walked out of the Bazaar, a smile plastered on the near-grandmaster's face.

Cody couldn't wait to try out Terminus. He loved his new staff.

* * *

><p>"You're going down!" Scarlet Lotuspetal cheered. Samantha Firetalon laughed maniacally in agreement with her older pyromancer sister.<p>

"Save your breath!" Destiny yelled at her younger sisters, her brother Thomas Emeraldshard at her side.

Thomas chuckled in amusement, knowing that, as always, Scarlet and Samantha would lose to him and Destiny. His thick, long black hair that matched Destiny's accented his very pale skin as the snowflakes in Colossus Boulevard descended down on the quartet of siblings.

"Seriously?" He asked, raising his eyebrows. "No way you can beat Destiny and I."

Destiny beckoned a finger at Thomas, signaling to him that they needed to strategize for the snowball fight. No spells allowed other than for Destiny and Scarlet to summon a tiny ball of fire to warm themselves up. Well, not too much for Scarlet, since she had just come back from Golem Court from being finally oriented into a school of magic- Fire, which a year and a half ago had been ten-year-old Destiny's dream. Now Destiny was twelve, would be a teenager within a half year and a Magus in the Death school.

Thomas was by Destiny at this point and quickly the Magus necromancer was whispering to the other necromancer. "Do you want to go full out on them, or create a really thick wall between us. . . or what?"

Thomas grinned and replied, "Bob."

Destiny laughed slightly. Journeyman necromancer or no, her brother Thomas Emeraldshard was one of the most random people in the Spiral. That and the fact they were both of the Death school held them together in a nice bond of friendship- the closest you could get when you were siblings.

"Here, seriously," Destiny continued. "Let's quickly build a formidable barrier around us, one that won't break easily but at the same time won't be hard to make. We should also have a lot of ammunition prepared so we won't risk getting hit by Scarlet and/or Samantha while preparing more snowballs. I'm horrible at making snowballs- they don't hold together. So perhaps you prepare the snowballs, I'll craft the barrier. Sound good?"

Thomas quickly raised his eye brows and closed his eyes- it was his body language for saying "maybe" or "It's a possibility".

"Think we'll need to form strategies against our little sisters?" Destiny asked.

Thomas shook his head. "Nah. We can take them down easily, strategy or no."

Destiny smiled. "Okay, then. Come on, let's get cracking on the preparations for the snowball fight. We don't have much time."

Thomas turned around and quickly yet firmly started meshing snow into little fist-sized balls. he was already working on his fourth- he was quick.

Destiny knelt down onto the snow and brought it towards her. She started doing that again and again until it was enough to make a thick barrier of snow, which she would soon share with her brother. A strand of black hair got in her face as she turned to see Thomas's progress once more- he was doing great.

Destiny had just finished packing all the snow together when one of her sisters called, "Ready!"

She looked up and saw Scarlet's blue eyes glittering with anticipation and Samantha's long pink hair flapping in the snowy breeze. Destiny backed up to Thomas's side, not taking her eyes off of Scarlet and Samantha.

"One!" Thomas called. Destiny could feel the anticipation of the winter fight coursing through the streets, energy begging to be taken out by throwing snowballs.

"Two!" Samantha and Scarlet called simultaneously. Destiny could see nine-year-old Scarlet and five-year-old Samantha pumped up- it was clearly written all over their faces. Unfortunately for them, they were going down.

"Three!" Destiny shouted.

That's when chaos broke loose.

Snowballs immediately flew threw the air, multiple ones from each side rocketing out from both duets. Thomas and Destiny immediately reached for their stockpile of snow that Thomas had packed and flung them through the air with precision and great aim, every single one of them hitting a struggling Scarlet or Samantha. Both were flailing to keep up with their prepared opponents- as usual, neither one of them stratgeized.

The next ten or so minutes included laughter and a riot of screaming, siblings having fun. But soon it was interrupted- or at least Destiny was- by a familiar face breaking in. "I see you're having a snowball fight?" a voice asked Destiny.

Destiny turned around to see Alexis Lifestone, Descendant of Life. She wore new Dragonspyre armor, a smile clad on her face.

"What does it look like?" Destiny asked sarcastically. Then after observing Alexis, Destiny asked, "Did you rise to Master?"

A grin spread on Alexis's face as she cheerfully replied, "Sure did!"

Destiny was about to reply when one of her sisters yelled, "Fine! We give up!"

Destiny laughed. It always ended like this. She turned back to Alexis and laughed. "Siblings. They can be a bit predictable, huh?"

Alexis joined in the laughter. "I suppose they can be. They're also lovable- I love my little sister Ashley to death."

Destiny smirked. "Of course you do," She said. "You're the Descendant of Life- how can you not, quite frankly."

Alexis gulped, suddenly uneasy. "Actually, that's what I was hoping to talk to you about." Then Alexis peered over Destiny's shoulder, observing her siblings. "Unless you're busy at the moment?"

Destiny shook her head. "Looks like it's over anyways."

Alexis smiled weakly and make a gesture with her hand to come as she turned around. Looking back, Destiny followed her, wondering what this was about. Most people would yearn for adventure, but that's not what Destiny wanted. Even though it had been months since she had been trapped in time with Jason, Ryan, a new girl called Sarai Storm and Cody and some more of Vladimir's followers, Destiny still had little flashes about it and some nightmares of Nicholas's death.

Nicholas had actually died from the Ordeal. That was something she hoped she would never have to see- but no one always got what they wanted in one way or another.

Destiny continued to follow a mostly solemn Alexis throughout Colossus Boulevard, wondering what Alexis had to show her when they suddenly stopped in front of a huge tree. Alexis looked up to gaze at the top branches and took a deep breath. Alexis seemed especially anxious.

"Alexis?" Destiny asked as she approached Alexis further. "What's wrong?"

But Alexis didn't answer. What Alexis did do was put both hands on the trunk of the tree. Then Destiny's eyes almost outgrew its sockets when she saw what happened next.

Once Alexis's hands became intact with the tree, the branches shivered a bit, as if anticipating snow. That's when little green stems grew out of the branch- all the branches.

Small leaves bloomed out of the stems. Some other stems' evolution included not only leaves, but little violets as well. Soon so many stems, leaves and flowers were growing that in almost less than a minute, the tree went from your average tree in Colossus to a full on tree that looked as if it were at the peak of its blooming.

Destiny hadn't seen Natalie's, Esmee's or Chris's Auras in action. But she had seen Jason's... then she realized that this was Alexis's.

Alexis's Aura. Her power, her ability granted only to a true Descendant of Life.

* * *

><p>"Llewella, meet Destiny."<p>

Llewella picked up her baseball mitt off the dark green grass and parted some hair away from her face as she walked over to a girl, looking a bit older than her, with long shoulder-length hair and dark eyes. She wore faded jeans and a white T-shirt unlike Llewella, who wore her softball team's, the Centaur's, light green uniform and a brown softball cap that went well with her dark hair.

The new girl, Destiny, blushed a bit. Apparently Destiny was a new girl to Crestwood High School, and a freshman like Llewella. Apparently Destiny also shared an interest with Llewella- softball. So here they both were. And since Llewella was one of the star players on the Crestwood Centaurs, Coach Hendricks had chosen her to teach the new girl a pointer or two.

When Coach Hendricks walked away to help another team member with her pitch aim, Llewella turned back to Destiny. "So, you had experience in softball?" Llewella asked.

Destiny shrugged. "I've played here or there with my siblings," Destiny answered, "but I don't have much experience- this is my first time on a team or league."

"Well, come on, perhaps I'll show you the positions after you meet the players and such," Llewella offered.

Destiny nodded. "Sure- I just need to get my stuff. Wanna come?"

Llewella cocked a brow. She could already tell that there was something to Destiny- something suspicious and not exactly right. But that, if it was true, could be found out later- perhaps Llewella could sniff it out as she got to know Destiny. "Sure."

Destiny smiled. The smile didn't seem evil or anything- one that seemed more... playful. Eluding.

Something _wasn't_ right.

Llewella followed Destiny around the school until they both came to the main entrance of Crestwood High. Llewella raised an eyebrow again and asked, "You left your stuff inside the school?"

Destiny shrugged. "Yeah. Left it in the girl's locker room by accident. In my locker. Still wanna come?"

The last bit of Destiny's sentence hung in the air a bit, like a challenge. And Llewella accepted challenges. "Yeah."

The duo entered the find the school still lit up. Llewella knew that Crestwood High had after-school enrichment activities, so they were still going on. Being a part of the Centaurs, Llewella was in an after-school activity herself.

The girls made their way to the locker room, yellow paint chipping off the metal lockers that embroidered the white-tiled walls and floors. When the school day usually dragged on, it seemed a bit cheerful, preppy girls talking about which guy was hotter or the latest fashion. But now that the locker room was deserted save the duo, it seemed a bit... haunting. Intimidating.

Destiny either was so new she didn't notice this or just plain didn't mind it. Llewella seemed to stay back as Destiny walked over to a huge locker that had the number 259 stamped on the brass plate on top. Then suddenly Destiny stopped and asked without turning around, "What's your life like?"

Suddenly flashes of her life filled Llewella's thoughts- or what was left of it. Llewella remembered her at age ten, on the streets. She had no recollection of her life before that, and a family, the Carsons, had taken her in and treated her like her own child since Mrs. Carson had an operation that prevented her from giving birth after a child's death.

"I was adopted," Llewella said as she closed her eyes, stunning herself by telling Destiny this. Llewella hadn't told this secret to even her closest friends, let alone a new girl she just met.

But soon Llewella found herself blurting out everything. "The Carsons took me in when I was ten years old. I don't remember anything before then. And now I'm having these reoccurring dreams- a girl and a boy, both with identical black hair and blue eyes. I can tell the girl is me... at a younger age... but I don't know who the boy is. I'm starting to think it's not a dream... but a memory."

Destiny tilted her head slightly. "Can you give the full description of the dream?"

Llewella didn't argue. "The boy and I wear weird clothing- the boy in black, I in green. We're racing through the streets of what seems to be like, nineteenth century Scotland or something. The boy looks to be a bit older than me... and there's another part. At the very end of the dream, this coat of arms flashes in my mind."

Destiny seemed interested. "Coat of arms?"

Llewella shivered slightly as she remembered it. "The coat of arms was completely black," She described, like a victim of a crime scene to a detective. "There was nothing on it except for this huge red V scrawled in the middle."

Destiny seemed to understand. Then she put her hands behind her back, pacing around the locker room. "Well, Llewella Carson," Destiny said, sending a shiver up Llewella's spine when it seemed she suddenly knew Llewella's name. Destiny stretched Carson, as if it weren't really her last name. "You mentioned something about lost memories. What if I told you that you could find these memories again?"

Llewella was very interested, knowing now that Destiny probably knew more to her past then Llewella herself did. All Llewella responded with was, "Who are you? Who are really?"

This sent a smile creeping up the older girl's face. "Destiny," She answered simply. "Destiny Deathflame, master necromancer."

"Master necromancer?" Llewella questioned. "What the heck does that even mean?" Llewella found her voice rising more and more.

Destiny only seemed more amused. "Come with me," Destiny said, holding out a hand after she finished putting in her combination, "and I'll show you... everything."

Llewella hesitated for a moment or two. Then, putting on her brave face, Llewella slid her hand into Destiny's.

* * *

><p>"Come on Destiny, use your manners!" Cassandra Rubytail, Destiny's mom, scolded. "You're the oldest, set an example!"<p>

Destiny had used her fingers to scoop up her helping of Fire Enchiladas, being impatient for the spatula to come around. Destiny licked her fingers to help herself to more of the deliciousness before merely shrugging at her mom's comment as Thomas chuckled.

Cassandra soon diverted her attention to Destiny's other brother, Hunter Emeraldshard. Hunter Emeraldshard was an initiate conjurer and twin of Thomas Emeraldshard. Hunter was more or less the brainiac of the family. Hunter read a lot- but not nearly as much as Destiny did in her free time.

"Put the book down!" Cassandra scolded again as the blonde-haired boy barely cared to look up. "This is no ordinary dinner- this is Scarlet's celebrating dinner!"

Samantha quickly interrupted her mom, allowing Hunter more time to spare to finish a chapter or two. "Mommy, can I have a cookie?"

Sure enough, Cassandra diverted her attention to the five-year-old. "After you eat your dinner."

"But I want one now!"

"Samantha, after you eat your dinner," Destiny's dad, Jared Lifegrove, supported.

Samantha banged her head on the table in protest.

Tonight the family were eating a special dinner of Scarlet Lotuspetal's choice- today was Orientation Day for those of Scarlet's age. Scarlet had found out that she had been taken on as a pyromancer, being the sole pyromancer in the family. However, the family had been studying Samantha, and they suspected that she may take on after Scarlet's school given her hotheaded attitude.

"I remember my celebratory dinner," Destiny recalled. "Oh wait- yeah there _wasn't_ one."

Destiny remembered when her family had found out she was placed in the school of Death. Cassandra had really overreacted and for the most part, kept her distance.

Most of the family followed their Mom's example- all but her dad and Thomas. Jared was a theurgist, so he was naturally compassionate, and Thomas felt a kind of connection. Then when Cassandra found out that Thomas was placed in Death a year after, she grew more and more accepting.

Destiny's mom sighed. "Because at the time we had it in our heads that every single necromancer breathing was evil," she replied as if it were no big deal as she spooned some mashed potatoes on her plate.

"It's because of Alex Deathcrafter, isn't it?" Destiny asked suddenly.

Once she said the words, Destiny wished she could take them back. Cassandra seemed to freeze, a shocked glance written all over her, as did Thomas. Scarlet and Samantha looked at Destiny, their eyes staring at her quizzically. Jared shot Destiny a warning glance. Even Hunter was mildly interested in the sudden outburst, looking up from his book.

The reactions should have made Destiny at least a little embarrassed- Alex Deathcrafter was brought up very rarely. But instead, it only encouraged her. "It's because of him, huh?" Destiny persisted. "You didn't want me to become like your first husband."

Cassandra studied Destiny with a look. Then, she got up from the table, picking up her plate and dumping it in the dishwasher as her heels clicked against the floor, shortly followed by a door slamming.

Jared sighed, and the siblings were still enchanted in stunned silence. Finally Destiny's dad said, "Just... eat."

Jared pointed a finger at Destiny. "Can I see you in the living room?" He asked, shortly followed by a nod.

Both Destiny and her auburn-haired dad exited the kitchen into the living room, leaving the other four kids worried about what was going to happen now that Destiny had dared to bring up the forbidden topic of Alex Deathcrafter.

Destiny and her dad seated themselves on a leather couch, Destiny very worried of the consequences. She had acted rashly and on her toes- and now she was going to pay the price they had been warned about. What was her punishment going to be?

They all knew the story- Before Destiny's mom had married Jared Lifegrove, she had married a necromancer called Alex Deathcrafter. They had been a happy couple for a while, with Cassandra expecting a baby boy. But a bit after Destiny's mysterious half-brother was born, from all the stress, Alex was growing frustrated- VERY frustrated. He couldn't handle everything all at once, growing jealous of Cassandra seeing as she handled anything smoothly as if everything, even the unexpected twists, were all scheduled in a planner.

But one night, it all went wrong. Alex finally couldn't handle it all. He finally decided to take all his stress, his frustration, his anger, all out- on Cassandra.  
>Alex turned tail and abused her. It got so awful that Cassandra left the baby behind and fled the house, calling a divorce as soon as possible. Any slight mention of Alex brought up memories for her- painful memories. That's why the kids were warned that they would be horribly punished if they brought it up to anyone. Scarlet and Samantha didn't know yet, but Scarlet would be told about Alex and the fact that she had a half-brother she never met.<p>

Destiny's dad sighed. "Alex hasn't been brought up for a long time, so I guess I'll let you off with a warning instead of the punishment we promised you and your brothers," He decided after a minute or two of what seemed to be assessing the situation.

Destiny nodded after breathing a sigh of relief. The worst wasn't to come- yet.


	19. Part 10 Thorn and Descendant Part 2

**A/N: Thanks to fanficreader137 for reviewing!**

* * *

><p><em>The Necromancer's Matter, Part 10; Thorn and Descendant (Part 2)<em>

Cody strode home with a proud feeling, the public about him- because he had just been named a Grandmaster necromancer. Not to mention the youngest one to achieve that, at age eleven.

But Cody didn't want to answer the presses questions- he just wanted to see his dad.

So when Cody got home, he immediately raced to the living room- not so much raced, but he went there with excitement as he saw his dad laid back on the couch.

Cody quickly set Terminus aside on a wall as he seated himself on a chair across from his dad, a tall man with jet-black hair and the dark eyes Cody had inherited. His dad's eyes usually had a cold, menacing look to them- but this time they couldn't help but sparkle with a proud gleam.

"The rumors are true?" Cody's dad asked.

A rare smile widened on Cody's face as he nodded.

"Cody," Cody's dad started. "This is amazing! This infinitely calls for celebration?"

"You think?" Cody inquired, raising an eyebrow.

Cody's dad gave a small laugh for no reason. Because he felt like, Cody joined in.

Shortly it stopped, his dad observing him. "Your mother would be so proud of you," his dad sighed.

Cody nodded. "I never knew the full story of her," he said. "Not even her name. Is she dead, or... or what?"

"She never died," his dad said, shaking his head solemnly. "She left me."

Just as Cody was about to protest that it was unfair, his dad held a finger, holding Cody's tongue. "But your mother had reason- it was I who caused the problem. I- I did something to her in the rush of the moment that I now very much regret."

"What was she like?" Cody asked. "Her school? Her looks? Her name?"

Cody's dad closed his eyes. "Beautiful," he finally whispered. "Very. Both inside and out. She always had some sort of spark of creativity in her eyes- one that could only belong to a conjurer."

"She was a Myth Wizard?" Cody asked, raising his eyebrows. "So that explains my natural ability with Myth, even when I'm a necromancer."

His dad nodded. "Yeah. I miss her- a lot."

* * *

><p>In Nightside was a little graveyard. In the graveyard was Jessica.<p>

As she looked down on a gravestone, Jessica sighed. Her grandmother had passed away a few years ago- Jessica may be a necromancer, but that didn't mean that they didn't have hearts, even if you were among the most powerful of necromancers.

Suddenly Jessica wondered how long it would be until she was buried in the ground if she kept being in the Order of the Spiral-

Instantly flashes of the bloody battles at Thorn Manor rose in her head, she remembered the Ordeal, she could only imagine what it was like to be powerless like

Destiny had been as she had to watch someone die.

Quickly Jessica shook her head rapidly, her long black hair flailing about in the air, as if trying to shake those memories off.

Suddenly, a voice startled her. One that she'd never thought she'd hear again.

"Jessica? Is that you?"

Instantly Jessica swiveled around, and her eyes grew to the size of dinner plates. Was this her imagination?

Because a woman, about seventy or eighty with frizzy white hair and light blue eyes, was smiling at her. "It's been a while." she tried again.

Taking deep breaths, Jessica nodded. "It has... grandma."

* * *

><p>Soon after, Llewella watched as Destiny entered her locker's combination. When she was done, Destiny opened it and invited Llewella to go inside the locker almost as tall as them.<p>

"Wait- I have to go inside?" Llewella asked, trying to make sense out of all this. Llewella felt herself taking steps back when Destiny nodded.

"Uh-uh," Llewella refused. "No. I am not taking this risk of-"

"Do you want to find your memories or not?" Llewella felt Destiny growing impatient. "Because I one hundred percent guarantee you this will work!"

Llewella still wasn't taking any chances. "What do you know about me?" she shouted.

"More than you know about yourself!"

This took Llewella aback. She froze, shock-still. Then slowly, concentrating deeply on putting one foot in front of the other, Llewella made her way to Destiny's locker.

Why was Destiny so focused on Llewella entering the locker? What did this Destiny person know about her? Was Destiny the girl's real name?

But before Llewella could have anymore second thoughts, she found herself entering the locker. Destiny entered the locker after her and shut the door behind her.

Instantly a sudden surge of panic poured itself into Llewella's mind. Llewella suddenly swiveled around and started pounding her fists on the door. "Help!" she shrieked. "A girl my age is trying to kidnap me!"

Destiny yanked on one of Llewella's arms in response. "I'm _not_ kidnapping you!" Destiny hissed. "In fact, I'm taking you back home!"

For some reason, this gave Llewella a gift of ease. She stopped banging on the door, the impact of the pain still lingering a bit. She wrung her hands a bit, as if to shake it off.

As logic slowly took hold of Llewella, she remembered that most lockers opened up to a storage space. However, in this locker, the narrow walls expanded forward and forward until it proved to be actually a narrow hallway. Finally the hallway led up to a large room, with the ceiling, floor and walls made of metal. Adorned in the center of the room, as if showing off a fancy centerpiece, stook a narrow, metal door presented on an octagonal platform with metal stairs sharply cascading from all sides.

The very sight deeply fascinated Llewella. "How is this possible?" she breathed.

Destiny looked to Llewella, followed by grinning half humbly, half smugly. "In the Spiral, anything is possible," she told her before proceeding up to the door and platform.

Llewella tilted her head in confusion. "Spiral?" she repeated questioningly. Then she came to a quick conclusion that she would soon find out as she followed.

The two girls rose up the steps and quickly arrived to the door. When they did, Destiny fished around for something in a pocket for a little bit before Destiny chose a slim, green key with an oak tree embroidered at the end- and oak tree with eyes and a mouth.

Before Llewella could ask what the tree was supposed to be, Destiny shot the key into a heyhole, fumbled a bit as she twisted, then opened the door- and Llewella was amazed at what she saw next.

It was a portal- a portal that showed a vivid, detailed image of a large room that looked as if it were to be the inside of a tree. Kids ran to and fro the Spiral door, in and out. They all were dressed very odd and some body parts were weird to go along with it- some had blue hair and violet eyes while others simply had brown hair and brown eyes.

"What is this place?" Llewella breathed. It looked like some picture of a little kid's fantasy story.

"Your home," Destiny softly said. "Where you can find your memories- and where you can do magic."

Llewella turned to Destiny. "Magic?" she repeated.

"Yes, magic," Destiny said. "Where you can summon stuff, use magic wands, fly on broomsticks- that kind of thing. It's very cool and can only be done in a few certain worlds. You can come with me and find out what kind of magic you can do- unless of course, you'd like to stay here."

Llewella bit her lip. Maybe she would like to stay here. After all, what would the Carsons' think if she suddenly disappeared? What about her baseball team? Should she really trust this Destiny person?

But before Llewella could have anymore second thoughts, she nodded, jumping at the chance to do the extraordinary.

And entered the portal.

Once she did, Llewella found herself in that room, suddenly embarrassed that she was in her Centaurs softball shirt and faded jeans. But she realized that perhaps Destiny could help her fit in.

Then suddenly Llewella had a flash- a flash of herself, eight years old. There was that boy in black again- they chatted earnestly, smiling away...

Was this a memory?

Suddenly Llewella knew that she had made the right decision.

* * *

><p>"So, I hear you're now a Grandmaster?" Neela inquired as she and Cody entered the all-too-familiar Thorn Manor.<p>

Cody gripped Terminus proudly as she smiled and straightened his back. "Of course."

Neela smiled. "Good job. Let's see how Vladimir likes the news," she offered as she seemed to be eyeing Cody's staff, a sharp gleam in her eye clearly visible as she looked at Terminus.

Cody tilted his head in confusion at Neela's interest in Terminus. But he let it slide as the two friends guided themselves into the doors.

Ever since the battle that Vladimir and Neela had described to Cody after he returned from being stuck in time, Vladimir and Neela had done much to repair the damage the Order of the Spiral had created. Now thanks to their diligent efforts, it looked almost as good as new.

Neela and Cody proceeded in silence to the Throne Room, where they found Vladimir pacing back and fourth. Cody tilted his head as a response to Vladimir's muttering.

"It's almost too late, it's almost too late..." he kept muttering. "The end has to come soon, we need to find it-"

Neela cleared her throat, startling Vladimir and interrupting him.

"Cody's reached Grandmaster," Neela announced, grinning evilly. "Now that all of us are at the peak of our power, the Order of the Spiral just may be outmatched."

Vladimir walked earnestly to Cody, smiling. "That is great," he said as he offered to shake his partner's hand. Cody accepted.

When Cody and Vladimir let go, Cody caught Vladimir doing just as Neela had- Vladimir was beginning to eye Terminus. Then, the world seemed to have hushed in uttermost silence as Vladimir slowly reached out for Cody's staff. Once his finger's brushed the staff of Terminus, Vladimir's eyes grew to the size of dinner plates, his mouth agape.

"May I observe it?" Vladimir softly asked, clearly awestruck.

Puzzled yet eager to find out what suddenly made Vladimir mystified, Cody nodded and forced himself to let go of Terminus long enough for Vladimir to observe it.

Cody watched as Vladimir's eyes seemed to search every square inch of the staff. Then finally, after a few minutes, Vladimir spoke.

"This is it."

Now it was Neela's turn to be confused. "It's what?" she inquired. "I sensed something special about the staff- but I don't know what it is."

Vladimir looked to Neela. "This," he began, rapidly searching his mind for the right words to describe Terminus, "is only our final ingredient to fulfill our goal."

Neela's eyes grew as large as Vladimir's had. "You mean that it's-"

"Yes, it is," Vladimir quickly cut in. "It very much is."

Neela smiled broadly. "Well well, now that we have the final piece, we will finally do it! We can finally do it! The Order of the Spiral has no chance now!"

Vladimir grinned along with Neela. "Indeed they don't," he replied.

Then Vladimir spun around to face Cody. "I'm sorry Cody," he said, "but I'm afraid that I'm going to have to- ah, keep your staff."

This ignited a fire of rage inside Cody. "Dude, I'm the one who got it in the first place!" he half-yelled. "You can't keep it!"

"Cody, do you realize-"

"Oh, I realize what it is," Cody replied, nodding. "I know what is truly disguised under Terminus. All the more reason for me to have it! It's mine!"

With that, Cody unleashed another wand from his backpack. As quick as lightning, he crudely etched the death symbol into the air and summoned a wraith- who pointed it's ax at Vladimir.

Keeping an iron grip on Terminus, the wraith seemed to cue Vladimir to bring out his sword, which he used to summon a scarecrow. The scarecrow easily overpowered Cody's wraith, screaming into it's face and taking the wraith aback. The wraith slashed it's ax wildly and actually hit the scarecrow, but only mildly. But even so, it was enough for the wraith to die and take the scarecrow down with him.

Neela and Vladimir exchanged glances, shock at Cody's sudden attack and unsure of what to do. Then Vladimir finally broke his gaze away from his friends' and slowly let reality's tendrils seep into him and take in that his former comrade was attacking him.

Then Vladimir quickly put this to use as he seethed through his teeth as he brought out a treasure card and brought an unexpected centaur.

Thinking fast, Cody resolved to also be unexpected. He too found a treasure card and used that to summon a fire dragon. The fire dragon spewed fire from it's mouth first at the centaur's head, then it's horse's chest as it attempted to shoot arrow after arrow at the legendary creature of fire.

Then Cody, deciding not to stall any longer with spells, furrowed his eyebrows as he began to run to Vladimir. He easily maneuvered the battle between the two rampant, battling legendary creatures as he spotted Vladimir unprotected and distracted.

Perfect.

Then Cody gave a war yell as he charged the older necromancer. Vladimir suddenly swerved around and was taken aback as Cody knocked Vladimir to the ground.

Cody raised his arm, curled one of his hands into a fist, and made contact with Vladimir's face. "GIVE IT BACK!" Cody screamed.

But before Cody could do anything more, Neela decided to step in. She took a deep breath before running in and wrestling Cody off Vladimir. Cody screamed in fury as he clawed at Neela while Vladimir stood up and recovered, protecting Terminus with his whole body.

"Why, Cody?" Neela softly asked. Then her amber eyes broke from Cody's dark eyes as Vladimir watched in interest. "Look- the staff is still technically yours- but Vladimir has to have it. He has to have it in order to do the spell."

Cody inhaled deeply, than exhaled. "If he wants to have the staff at the time, that's all right. It's just property of Cody Shadowstrider, and he can't have it until the time comes to do the spell."

"The time to do the spell is now," Vladimir persisted. "We're going to head off shortly, very shortly."

Cody's mind was racing. He would not have Vladimir randomly taking his stuff- even if the stuff was a very powerful object. So Cody was going to do something about it.

Before Cody could stop himself, he suddenly announced, "I'm done."

Now Cody had also grasped Vladimir's attention. "What do you mean, you're done?" Vladimir repeated slowly.

Cody had very likely angered Vladimir, but there was no turning back. He had to make his mark, to prove to Neela and Vladimir that he was just as powerful as them as a Descendant of Valkoor and Death.

"I'm done," Cody repeated. "Count me out."

Cody then turned around and started to head out of the room, following the blood-red aisle as he did. While he did so, Neela's mind was in a frenzy, her gears turning madly.

"Well, where would you go?" Neela challenged. "You already know about this business- so what are you going to do?"

Cody stopped for a moment to pause and think. Then he closed his eyes as he rationally assessed the situation- then finally came to a conclusion of where to go.

"I think I'll go to the Order of the Spiral."

With that, he walked out, not looking back to see Vladimir and Neela's expressions, the result of their shock of the sudden betrayal of their comrade.


	20. Part 10 Thorn and Descendant Part 3

_The Necromancer's Matter, Part 10; Thorn and Descendant (Part 3)_

Back in Ravenwood, Ryan Stormcaster was ticked off.

"You watch it!" He yelled, overlong purple hair getting in the way of his dark face. Purple eyes glared at his opponent- Wolf Shadowseer, his partner for practicing spells.

Professor Thunderslash was currently teaching the near-masters an early way to do Stormzilla. Professor Thunderslash knew that in order to advance to master and show their potential, they had to cast Stormzilla successfully at least three times, no easy feat, especially when seventy percent of the time their spells didn't even work. At least the diviners didn't have Professor Lucyia Drake's, the necromancy professor and Destiny's and Jessica's teacher, standards of becoming a master. How Death Students handled that monster of a teacher, Ryan would never know.

But Lucyia wasn't what he was focused on. To help them casting Stormzilla, Professor Thunderslash had those who were in their late Magus start casting Stormzilla early to pass off their requirements easily for Master in the long run. To help them furthermore, she placed them into partners. Ryan got partnered with Wolf Shadowseer, a more snobby yet talented diviner, and Wolf had succeeded in casting Stormzilla for his first time.

But it had damaged Ryan, and angered him deeply.

Wolf gave Ryan a mocking smile. "Well, we were _supposed_ to do it, you know?" Wolf taunted.

Ryan gritted his teeth, his heart going at a rate so fast it felt like it was about to burst out of his chest- the way he felt when he was mad, real mad.

"You little, good-for-nothing, brainless thunder snake!" Ryan screamed at Wolf. Wolf's eyes grew big when Ryan added a Storm Swear at the end.

The sound of snapping thunder that rose whenever a storm spell was released shrunk, and the chatter of eager Storm Maguses diminished to nothing as their eyes flew to Ryan and Wolf's brewing argument.

Ryan continued seething despite the eyes locked on him. His anger was slowly brewing, then coming up, up, like storm clouds blending together or lightning getting ready to crackle and burn things to the ground.

Then, when he could no longer contain it- lightning zipped out of Ryan's left hand.

The golden, quick and stinging whip of electricity that diviners worshiped crackled in a circle across the room, putting out all lights. A few girls shrieked and a few boys hollered in response. And somehow satisfied, another tendril of lightning shot out of his arm to where he had seen Wolf just a few seconds ago. In response, Ryan heard a clatter that could only be following someone scattering for possibly his or her life.

Wolf's survival only made Ryan madder. Ryan's amethyst eyes were now bloodshot, like a predator seeking out prey, with his black pupil growing smaller and his violet irises extending as energy seemed to swirl together, mixing in...

Then Ryan gave a furious war yell as multiple flashes of lightning shot out of his hands again as he raised them to the ceiling, the yellow electricity zipping across the wood ceiling and many booming, ear-deafening sound dropping from the ceiling- along with hard pieces of the ceiling.

Almost everyone in the school but Ryan screamed. "EVACUATE THE BUILDING! NOW!" Professor Thunderslash's voice was somehow heard above the blend of screams of her students. In a few more seconds, light poured from the opening of a door as a mass of students immediately rushed out of the building.

Ryan then felt like fainting, his eyes dropping and his body in a very weakened state. His eyes lolled back into his eyelids until a painful grip on his arm yanked the rest of his body, forcing him to stumble along after the teacher as the rest of the ceiling smashed down to the floor.

Ryan couldn't believe it as tears seeped out of his eyes. The Storm School had just collapsed, just like the Arena a year or two ago.

Then as reality overcame him, he realized... it collapsed... because of him.

Because Ryan could project lightning.

That was his Aura, Ryan fully realized as Ravenwood was slowly evacuated.

* * *

><p>"I'll tell Headmaster Ambrose that you've arrived," Destiny said after she emerged from the portal after Llewella. "Why don't you give yourself a tour of Ravenwood while you're at it?" Destiny added as she shut the door behind her.<p>

In response, Llewella just nodded. Once given the okay, Destiny walked out of the chamber and left.

Once Destiny had gone, Llewella instantly felt lost. Destiny had been Llewella's guide in this foreign world, and now Llewella was deprieved of that guide.

Well, maybe then Llewella should take Destiny's advice and give herself a tour.

Nervous, Llewella relucantly stepped out of the green chamber and into a vacated street. Her eyes slowly took in the tan cobblestone covering all but a part of the center ground where unfamiliar yet familiar symbols were etched in a circle, the arches that hung over everything else with solely one of the symbols that were in that circle. Straight ahead of Llewella seemed to be a tunnel sloping downwards that read, The Commons. To her left was a mangled purple school that looked like it had just fell from a thousand feet above and crashed to the ground. To her right...

To Llewella's right looked like it had been summoned from the very heart of nature itself, as if a building had grown from the earth. As Llewella gradually walked to the green school with the leaf symbol, over time she felt a wave of calm, serenity, and peace overcome her. Petals danced in the air and to the ground, reminding Llewella of someone falling to the ground slowly with a parachute.

Llewella smiled broadly and closed her eyes peacefully. She felt a surge of life...

_Life._

Llewella being here... it felt... right. For her, and seemingly as if it were for her only.

Llewella took a deep breath of the clean air and opened her eyes. Immediately another flash startled her- a younger version of her staring up at the top of the building, her big aqua eyes admiring the sight as if it was destined for her.

Llewella looked down, as if someone were watching her and she was embarassed.

"A theurgist," Llewella said as the word suddenly popped into her head. As soon as it was released out of her mouth, Llewella felt more sure of herself than ever before in her fourteen years of living.

"That's what I am," Llewella continued. "A theurgist... I'm in the school of Life."

* * *

><p>In uttermost dismay, Vladimir slammed open the Spiral Door to Wizard City.<p>

Vladimir felt like screaming. He had come so close! Come so far! And now, suddenly, just as he had aquirred the last component of his goal, one of his most trusted comrades betrayed him! Just like that!

Vladimir gripped Terminus tightly, or at least, what was under the shell that was called Terminus. When coming so far, losing Cody... did that mean he would lose it all?

Vladimir instantly fought off that seed of doubt. No! Nothing would stop him! Not now! He couldn't have all his work be for nothing, his work that, in the long run, would produce a better life, a better Spiral! What fool was Vladimir now, letting Cody get in the way?

He wouldn't let Cody get in the way! No one! He had come so far, and he wasn't going to let it fall! Nothing would prevent Vladimir now!

Without realizing it, as if Vlaidmir were sleepwalking, reality cornered him as he realized he was now in Ravenwood. It seemed empty... why was that?

Vladimir's eyes immediately flocked to his left. Ah, the Storm School.

Vladimir was shocked to see that it had utterly collapsed. Shocked out of his very wits, in fact. But what brought it down? The Storm School was the most stable of all the schools, a way to symbolize their strength and power.

Vladimir then looked to his right- he probably wouldn't be allowed to investigate the building's destruction. Headmaster Ambrose and the rest of the Ravenwood staff would more than likely want to take a look at it first before publishing it to the rest of the Spiral. To his right was the all too familiar Life school, the one he felt more resenting towards. But next to the Life Building was a girl, oddly dressed.

Vladimir tilted his head quizzically in response to the sight of her. Immediately he stepped back as he received a vision- one of Vladimir younger, dressed in black, and a younger girl who looked like him, with matching black hair and aqua eyes.

Her.

All the more reason Vladimir had to accomplish his goal.

Vladimir half-sleepwalked again. He was now nearer to the girl with the jet-black hair that was able to reach a few inches passed her shoulders. A brown hat rested on the top of her head- one that Vladimir hadn't ever seen. It was circular, with a half-circle hole to allow more black hair to peep out and more brown sticking out from it, seemingly circular, as if to shield the girl's eyes. Her torso was also unfamiliar- it was a loose green shirt with tiny holes poked throughout. Stamped on the back was, in a large calligraphy font, was _The Centaurs_. The girl looked to be two or three years younger than him, and wore brown knee-length pants that were also alien. She seemed mesmerized in the school that was standing in front of her.

Vladimir squinted in response to the unusual outside characteristics of her. Then he "Oh"ed in understanding when he realized that this girl might have come from that world called Earth, where magic was faintly heard of but never believed in.

Vladimir cleared his throat. "You from Earth?" he asked.

Vladimir had startled her, spinning her around. Her aqua blue eyes that seemed to match Vladimir's looked familiar, holding something that Vladimir should infinately realize but couldn't put a word in recognition to it. "A-and you know this... how?"

Vladimir shrugged as a joking smile spread his face. "Lucky guess, I suppose."

The girl breathed what looked to be a sigh of relief, as if relieved that Vladimir was an unexpected stalker. The girl opened her mouth to say something, but didn't, her mind racing faster than her mouth.

Finally she spoke. "How did you guess?" She questioned, those haunting blue eyes still not leaving Vladimir. "You a... wizard or something?"

Vladimir nodded, putting a little bit of her questions to rest. "Like you and everyone else walking in Wizard City. A Grandmaster necromancer, at your service." Vladimir added a joking bow for full effect.

The girl gave a short laugh. "A theurgist. School of Life."

Vladimir chuckled shortly like the girl had. "How'd you guess?" Vladimir asked sarcastically. "You seemed as if you were put under some sort of enchantment spell."

The girl grinned, then it quickly was replaced by a gasp as she took a step back.

Vladimir raised an eyebrow in curiosity. "What is it?"

The girl looked at him, then sighed. "I- I've been having... these weird flashes lately, as if they're trying to remind me about something that I've forgotten a long time ago. They came every so often back at Earth, but now that I'm here- they attack me so much. And since I can't remember anything past the age of ten, I'm wondering if these are memories or something. But are they real... or am I just imagining them? Am I imagining this? There's a chance I'm imagining you- my parents always remarked that I had quite the imagination. But this doesn't feel like imagination- it seems too real."

Vladimir chuckled. "Monologue much?" He asked, arching an eyebrow.

The girl laughed in response- it sounded like a bell chime, and it seemed so familiar to Vladimir...

"I guess so," she simply said.

Then the girl just stood there, looking at Vladimir, smiling. Then slowly shock overcame her as her eyes grew as if she had seen Vladimir sprout butterfly antennas on his head.

Vladimir was creeped out by the girl's sudden staring. "Well, I'd better get going now..." he turned to leave.

But the girl was desperate. "Wait!" she called, followed by shoes hitting the cobblestone hard and immediately laid her hand on Vladimir's shoulder to keep him from going...

"It... it's Vladimir, isn't it?"

Vladimir instantly spun around at the girl mentioning his name without him have revealed it. "How do you know me?" Vladimir suddenly accused.

The girl blinked twice, as if trying to remember why indeed she had just said his name. For that moment, eerieness rose and overtook both of them.

Then it hit him, like a brick falling on his head and smacking him suddenly into realization.

Why hadn't he seen it before! Especially now!

Vladimir had searched for her the past four years, and he was just about to pass her by just like that! How blind was he?

Vladimir remembered his year of grieving, thinking that she was dead, lost to him forever. On the anniversary of her 'death', Vladimir couldn't stand being without her- he needed to bring her back to life, whether it was against the laws of nature or not.

He remembered the days of research, staying up late at nights, drowning the sight out of his eyes, searching anxiously for an answer, a way to revive people from the dead. And just as he was about to finally throw the towel and mourn for the remainder of his life-

Vladimir went through the Ordeal.

Knowing about his lineage, being descended from Valkoor Thorn, gave him a new path to follow. Only then did he realize how corrupted the Spiral seemed, and Vladimir was the only one to seemed to have noticed it. Vladimir backtracked and started his days of research again, but this time...

This time it didn't lead to nothing.

Studying ravidly about the Legendaries, Vladimir finally found the answer to his problem and set a goal, one that would bring her back to life. The goal seemed almost impossible to complete, with the risks he had taken in the past years...

And now he had all piece of it. The process certainly hadn't been easy... but it had been possible. Not easy, but possible.

He closed his eyes almost peacefully, remembering a few years back before she had disappeared. They had both been young, racing through a courtyard in Thorn Manor, before they had painted the whole of Thorn Manor black after she had gone. Vladimir was winning easily while she struggled to keep up.

She finally hunched her back and placed her hands on her knees in defeat. "Com'on Vladimir, can you give me a head start or somethin'? Pleeeeeaaaase?"

Young Vladimir stopped, turned around, and laughed. "Come on! You can sure do better than that..."

Then the present rushed up to Vladimir and overtook him.

"...Llewella."

Llewella smiled at the recognition at her name, and at that moment they both knew that they had both found what they were looking for.

"Vladimir!"

"Llewella!"

Immediately they rushed up to each other, embracing each other in a tight, locked hug.

For the first time in four years, brother and sister were finally reunited.

And also for the first time in years... Vladimir was truly, truly happy.


	21. Part 10 Thorn and Descendant Part 4

_The Necromancer's Matter, Part 10; Thorn and Descendant (Part 4)_

Blue light seemed to bathe most of the Wizard City library, making it a bit pretty and having some tendrils of blue dancing unknowingly on Harold Argleston's head.

Destiny smiled a bit at the sight. The last two times she had been at the library, she had been looking through newspaper archives to find out more about the only known Pure Descendant, Marcus Dawngem. Later she had been able to find out the source of his death- the Ordeal. When she had heard it come out of the mouth of the dying Nicholas, she hadn't believed it as much as Ryan and Jason, but later on when Destiny had been able to think clearly- it had made sense. Marcus's death description had been remarkably similar to Nicholas's once she had compared it, and Nicholas had died from the Ordeal. So Destiny had come down to the same conclusion as the deceased sorcerer.

The most recent time she had been here was when she had been trapped eighty years into the future. Destiny could only think of the library as a good source for possible answers- which it likely didn't. But Destiny had never been able to find out- she had been distracted by a book of Headmasters and Headmistresses, then had been shocked to find out that apparently Amber Ambrose, Headmaster Ambrose's wife, had too been a Headmistress of Ravenwood. The necromancer had been so shocked at this that she had failed to turn back a page and find out why Headmaster Ambrose had died or such.

It still creeped Destiny out to know partially what was coming in the future. She had been prophecied, as if she had been trusted with something no one else in the Spiral knew... at this time.

Destiny wanted to prevent this from happening, though. The current Headmaster was great, and he didn't deserve to die! Ever!

But what would happen if Destiny DID prevent it? Then what? What if Amber did something extraordinary to Ravenwood and, all because Destiny changed what would happen, it didn't happen? Something to revolutionize Ravenwood, perhaps?

Suddenly Destiny wasn't so optimistic on changing things.

But Destiny's current trip to the library wasn't so much about the future- it was mainly about the past once more. Destiny had to do research again, but this time it wasn't as much on her free will. She had to do some research about her ancestors, collect the names, find out the way they died, then write a five page report on it. The things Lucyia assigned!

So Destiny may as well should start get cracking on it.

As Destiny walked to the front desk, she also wondered vaguely about Alex Deathcrafter. Would she have to do research on her stepdad as well? Destiny gathered up her memory- yup. Professor Drake told the class that they would also have to conduct research into any stepparent's ancestory as well.

Well.

Destiny was stuck- Mom and Dad had strictly forbidden her to do anything that was related to her abusive stepfather, but if she didn't do research into Mr. Deathcrafter, than the absolute highest she would get on the assignment was about seventy percent- if teachers were nice. And Professor Drake was certainly not nice. And Destiny couldn't try to make it up or pretend Alex didn't exist- Lucyia Drake had hidden ways of finding out certain things. She had proved that when one time when Destiny had been a novice, she had to write a one-page essay of the things she learned from a Death Textbook that was of choice, but had to be at least five hundred pages. Destiny wasn't much of a reader- she certainly couldn't read five hundred pages in a short week. So she made up a title based on other titles of Death Textbooks she had seen, had read things of other Death Textbooks here and there, and creatively made up the essay.

The result was a huge red X on her paper with a bunch of scolding comments of not only cheating but about use of grammar (Who knew Professor Drake was an expert on the subject?) and a month of writing _I will not cheat on my great essays that help me learn new things into the horrible, ungrateful mind of mine_ on the chalkboard an hour everyday after classes. Winging a day of this would result in an extra month of detention.

Destiny arrived to the desk. "Um..." Harold looked up, "do you know where I can, like, find out more about my ancestors or something?"

Harold nodded. "Sure! Which ancestor are you looking up?"

Destiny blushed sheepishly. "That's the thing- I don't know. I need to look my lineage up."

Harold nodded again understandingly. "Ah. I get a lot of that." The dog librarian stood up, sending Destiny mental shivers. Destiny would NEVER get used to standing dogs, no matter how much she tried. "Follow me- I have the solution. It's a little magic device that was recently created."

So that's what Destiny did, following the dog somewhat reluctantly as she followed him through the winding halls coated with thick volumes of information and/or stories. Finally, Harold shuffled through a keyring before putting a thin blue one into a lock- then opened the mahogany door.

Destiny had expected to be amazed or something, with a huge collection of newspapers or books or whatnot. Instead, she was unimpressed- the unlit room was bare except for some purple-ish wallpaper and a sole mahogany table in the center of the room. Resting on that table was what looked like to be a little cube.

Harold smiled broadly, unlike Destiny. He almost ran up to it as Destiny continued to follow him into the dark room. When he sensed her uneasiness, he merely laughed. "Don't worry- I think you'll find this device attractive."

Destiny walked ahead of the Head Librarian and picked up the little cube, examining different sides and angles. "What does it do?"

Harold chuckled, holding his hand out for the little cube and in turn, Destiny gave it to him, cautious of his gray fur.

"Well first you've got to twist here, then give another twist here," Mr. Argleston was pointing to some various parts of the cube as he was doing this, "then press this- now, I haven't done the actual thing because I want you to do it- I want you to see the results for yourself." The librarian smiled slyly as he went out of the room, leaving the door open for Destiny.

Destiny watched him go, then looked back to the cube, curious. Then she shrugged and followed Harold Argleston's instructions. It was like one of those puzzle cubes- Destiny dropped it when she saw what happened next.

Immediately a blue thing popped out of the place that she had pressed, then Destiny squinted her eyes as the little line seemed to scan her face. It then disappeared into the cube and emerged back out with an outline of Destiny's head.

Then out of the head seemed to just pop out suddenly- a kind of web suddenly seemed to seep out from the top of the blue hologram of Destiny's head and slowly expanded and thinned, until it created a large, web-like dome around Destiny's head. Circling around the web and Destiny were names...

Names of her ancestors.

Destiny smiled at the discovery. This was cool! So apparently it took a scan of your head, got some DNA, and found out all your ancestors from there.

Destiny reached out a cautious hand, moving towards her Grandma's name, Emily Rosesmith.

When her hand touched her grandmother's name, instantly the other names faded and from Emily's name came out a light blue chart- her date of birth, date of death, the events in her life, her wizard school, newpaper articles that mentioned or featured her...

Woah.

Destiny smiled even bigger as she exited out of the charts featuring Emily Rosesmith. Destiny looked around, gaping at the wonder, wondering how the heck wizards these days could come up with things like this...

Then Destiny spotted the name, her smile fading.

Alex Deathcrafter.

Destiny took a deep breath as she reluctantly touched the name with her palm. This was it- finally her chance to learn a thing or two about her ancestor.

Likewise with her grandma, a chart appeared for Alex Deathcrafter- this time it was black unlike Emily's blue. So apparently the color of the chart depends on your school. And because the chart was black, this time the text was white.

Destiny squinted her eyes as she mainly skimmed through the charts... until it said family.

It listed Cassandra Rubytail as his wife.

And it listed the name _Cody Shadowstrider_ as son of Alex Deathcrafter and Cassandra Rubytail.

* * *

><p>Llewella and Vladimir finally let go of each other, excitement and joy overcoming them both.<p>

For a while they just stood there, looking at each other with happiness's eyes. Then finally Vladimir shook Llewella's shoulders.

"Come on," he breathed, aqua eyes glistening. Then he put an arm around Llewella's shoulders as he began to lead her back to the Spiral Chamber. "I need to show you a place."

Llewella barely resisted jumping up and down in eager anticipation. "Where're we going?" she asked Vladimir.

"Don't worry- we'll be there shortly. In the meantime- do you like dogs and cats?"

* * *

><p>Once Destiny saw Cody's name on Alex Deathcrafter's chart, she raced to a point of panic.<p>

Destiny looked as if she had seen a wraith suddenly pop out of the ground. Slowly she backed away in a judicious mix of horror and shock.

Her heart rate was lurging, pounding, wanting to bring her down to the floor and crumple her. Unsure of what to do, Destiny bolted out of the small, dark room.

Fragments of thoughts poured into and seeped out of her mind at an alarming rate as she continued to run.

_Cody... Alex... Mom... Cody... Descendant... Death... Him... Deathcrafter... Valkoor... related..._

Once the last few thoughts had slipped past, out of breath, Destiny finally stopped when she processed that she had ran all the way into Ravenwood. She quickly looked around- when she saw the Storm School pounded to a pulp, she didn't even care. It was actually less shocking than Cody being her half-brother.

But somehow, her thoughts about Cody had also been dumped out when she took a closer look at the people inspecting the Storm School's wreckage...

They weren't moving.

Nothing but her was.

Horror closed around Destiny like a fist, crushing her...

The last time Destiny had witnessed this happening, she had been in Krokotopia.

Time...

A prescise, sharp, intriguing yet somewhat friendly voice cut into Destiny's thoughts like a knife... one she had never heard before.

"Hello."

Destiny's first thought was wondering who it was. Destiny's second thought was when seh realized that if time had stopped and another person was moving...

And when she saw the person walking up to her, Destiny's third thought was nothing but radiating, disbelieving shock... even for the liutenant of the Order of the Spiral.

Destiny hadn't recognized the voice. But the face had been embedded into her head too deep.

He looked to be a few years older than her, about sixteen. His shoulders were broad, giving him an aura of authority and power. The footsteps were quick, prescice and even. He was dressed in red novice clothing, but thad didn't fool Destiny. Not at all.

Because he was a prodigy. He had become Grandmaster withing mere months of enrolling- his steely blue eyes seemed to confirm that. A sharp chin and red hair almost as long as Jason's proved an interesting combination.

Destiny's first reaction was to back away. Quickly.

He seemed interested in Destiny's response. "You seem like you're scared of me."

Destiny opened her mouth to say something, then shut it, then dared to open it again. "I-I'm not, but-"

"You sure then have an amusing reaction."

"I'm j-just-"

"Shocked?"

Destiny nodded, finally noticing that she had backed away as far as the Myth School.

He took it into consideration, then shrugged, agreeing with her. "I suppose if they saw me at this point in time, they would."

Destiny wanted to get to the point despite her anxiety. "D-do you k-know me?"

He laughed humorlessly. "Of _course_ I do! In fact, I traveled just to see you, Destiny Seagem. Time instructed me with the task of telling you."

_Telling me what?_ Destiny thought as she continued walking backwards and him following her. _And what does he mean time instructed him?_

When Destiny offered no response, he lifted an inquiring eyebrow. "I'm presuming you know me?"

Destiny stopped backing, reaching the Death School Arch, and nodded. "Of course I know you, Marcus Dawngem."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: I remember back when I wrote that part, where Destiny meets Marcus and stuff. Easily one of the scenes I enjoyed writing most. **

**Anyways, thanks DeathySophia and fanficreader137 for reviewing! You people are the best. 3**


	22. Part 10 Thorn and Descendant Part 5

_The Necromancer's Matter, Part 10; Thorn and Descendant (Part 5)_

Marcus simply nodded.

"Quite honestly- I don't know where to begin," The Pure Descendant chuckled. "Time-she knew that you needed to know-"

Destiny raised her eyebrows, cutting him off. "Wait… who's this Time? Time is a person?"

Marcus nodded."She's as real as you and I." Marcus thought for a moment, then seemed to nod in approval in something. "I suppose I've found a place to start-"

"So start."

Marcus drew in a deep breath. "At the beginning of the Spiral- there was nothing. There was just something known as the Force. Then one day, the Force made a decision- it created the Spiral. Other worlds call it the Big Bang. It gave life to the dragons, titans and krakens- started the first war when it gave them all something a kind of power- known as magic."

"So…this Force. It's the source of all magic?"

Marcus smiled."You've got that right! The Force of the Spiral is the source of all magic-it's where it all comes from. And if the Force is gotten ahold of, if someone took control of it- they'd pretty much rule the Spiral. But little do they know is that the Force usually rests inside a being with great power, great potential…"

"Now here's another part of the story. I trust you know the story of how the Blade of Seven was created?"

Destiny nodded. "How can I not? Finding those Shards along with the Descendants is a pretty big pain."

Marcus nodded in approval. "Well- there's a gap in the story, unknown to even most who know about this Legendary and Descendants business. You see- it was when Valkoor found out about the Blade of Seven. Valkoor- he wanted it so bad, so desperately- Valkoor Thorn actually got it."

Destiny gasped and took a quick step back. "If he had gotten ahold of the Blade of Seven- then why isn't the Spiral in misery right now?!"

"I'm getting to that. While planning how to get the sword back from Valkoor, they found a girl. She was mortally wounded, on the brink of death- Valkoor had stabbed her with the Blade of Seven. The Legendaries felt a need to heal this girl- especially when they took a closer look at her Aura and saw that she held great, great potential in magic- potential as strong as Legendaries themselves! Now would you believe that!

"They tried desperately to heal her- but not even Life, not having the full extent of her abilities, not even she could heal the girl. So they did something truly desperate- they went up to the Force itself and asked it to heal her.

"The Force of the Spiral saw the potential in her also- then realized the danger it was in to Valkoor, who sought the Force's power. So it decided to not only revive the girl- but it also gave her a new magic, unheard of to most. This magic was to combat Valkoor and to safeguard the Force. And with this new magic, being the first to be able to use this magic- the girl turned into the eighth Legendary! The Legendary Time."

So that explained Marcus saying that Time had sent him. But Destiny was not able to retain her shock.

"T-Time Magic?" she repeated. "An eighth school of Magic? But- but that's absurd!"

But once Destiny slowly thought about it, it dawned on her… it wasn't. Destiny had seen time stop twice. Fire and Storm had traveled through time. How Taryn was able to send her, Jason, Ryan and Nikki back to her own time.

As if to prove it, Marcus slowly traced a familiar symbol- a white, basic outline of an hourglass forming in the air. The same symbol Taryn had used when she had sent them back.

Destiny unknowingly said her thoughts out loud. "So Taryn knew Time magic," she breathed.

Marcus nodded, pleased. "That is right. And not just that- Taryn… she's the girl."

Destiny gasped."So…" her thoughts scrambled to an image of Taryn, with her long white hair, her mismatching clothing, those violet eyes… "Taryn… she's a Legendary?"Destiny was shrieking at the last line.

"Pretty much. Taryn is the Legendary Time."

Destiny couldn't believe this. Taryn was an unknown Legendary. Taryn was an unknown Legendary. Taryn was a Legendary!

If Taryn had been a Legendary, anyone could be one!

"Anyways,"Marcus proceeded after Destiny didn't say anything else. "So Time was crowned a Legendary. Once Valkoor heard about this- he was driven into a state of pure rage. He needed to match all the Legendaries- he couldn't keep on using magic that Death controlled. Valkoor needed fuel, he needed power…

"So Valkoor found the Force after searching for a long time- the Blade had led him to it. His crimson eyes had gleamed as he was able to somehow- actually able to overpower the Force- but not quite all the way. Valkoor didn't get what he wanted, but he still got a great lot- what Time, or, as you know her, Taryn got."

Destiny understood."Valkoor created a new magic, didn't he?"

Marcus solemnly and slowly nodded. "Valkoor became stronger with his new magic. Well, it wasn't so much a new magic- it was actually a manipulation of a variety of spells taken from other schools. Twisted spells to serve Valkoor's liking- he named his new magic Black Magic- and Valkoor Thorn became the ninth Legendary."

Destiny raised an eyebrow. "I'd say that he was the eighth and Taryn was the ninth, quite honestly- Valkoor was born before Taryn."

Marcus rolled his eyes. "Fine. Time was the ninth Legendary and Valkoor was the eighth. Anyways-in the end, they were able to triumph over Valkoor, with Time's help, and steal the Blade back, then split it into pieces. Over time, Black Magic was lost, surviving in only small fragments. Time Magic used to be known to Wizards, but those in that school kept reversing the past and undoing their mistakes, changing the future- abusing their school's power of Time. So Time herself decided to change the course of history- she took away the Time School itself. She went through time and erased that part completely.

"As for Black Magic- when Valkoor died, Black Magic pretty much shattered, and only a very few scattered shards of it remained. However, over the course of history those shards were slowly put together in different, surprising spells- the first spell they were able to put together was Black Cat. Then they recently put together Death Leprechaun, a few years ago.

"Valkoor's school was pretty much lost to Wizardkind except those spells- until Vladimir. Vladimir had done immense amounts of research about Legendaries, Valkoor Thorn in particular. And bit by bit, Vladimir pieced together Black Magic more than twice as much than brilliant archeologists and historians were able to find and connect. Over the course of years, Vladimir was able to reawaken the whole school to himself. Because of this, he has an advantage no one else has. The only people he's taught this is to two people- Neela Waterpetal and Cody Shadowstrider."

Destiny grimaced when Vladimir mentioned Cody. Thoughts rushed to Cody, and Destiny wanted immediately to throw up.

Then Destiny immediately yelled at herself to snap out of it. She couldn't focus on Cody right now- she had to focus on the Time School and Black School. Destiny now knew the Time School's symbol- for the Black School-

Destiny remembered the Thorn V that Vladimir often casted into the air. Did she even need to question whether or not that was the Black School symbol?

"So…." Destiny finally said, thinking. "There are two unknown schools. There are not seven Legendaries, but nine. Black Magic and Time Magic. And I'm taking that we also need to find the Descendant of Tar-Time and a Descendant of Valkoor."

"You got it. Except for one small part- you already have the Descendant of Time."

Destiny opened her mouth to argue about this, then slowly realized what Marcus was saying.

"Noah Firewielder. Is- is he…"

Marcus nodded. "Sure is. After all, in the Prophecy of Fire, it states in the first lines, Thirteen shall rise up, all of great lineage. Noah is obviously one of the thirteen- and all of them are of great lineage, so…" He waited for Destiny to do the Math.

Destiny nodded her understanding. She had actually hoped Marcus would mean her as the Descendant of Time. It was a little crushing to know that now everyone but her was a Descendant, everyone had unimaginable power, great ancestors… all but her.

Then she remembered the lines of the Prophecy Marcus had reminded her. _Thirteen shall rise up,_ all _of great lineage…_

Did this mean that Destiny was a Descendant? Was she going to go through the Ordeal, have an Aura, be powerful that most could barely dream about? Be a reincarnation of a Legendary?

She probably was- the Prophecy of Fire was never wrong.

But the real question was- who was Destiny descended from?

Marcus seemed to choose that moment to remember something. He grabbed a piece of paper from his pouch- one that looked terribly aged, shriveled up like a little corpse, thin and wiry. It looked like that a little cough from a fly could blow it apart. "Speaking of the Prophecy of Fire- catch." He threw the little paper to Destiny, who was able to save the fragile thing before it feathered down to the ground.

"Now you have the complete Prophecy of Fire," Marcus explained. "However- do not read it or speak it until you have all of the Thirteen members of the Order of the Spiral- as of now you have twelve. There's just one Descendant left to find, but that could very well be the trickiest one of all-"

Destiny nodded her understanding, barely swallowing a gulp. "A Descendant of Valkoor."

Marcus nodded yet again. "Good luck on that one," Marcus said sarcastically. "Well- do you know what you're doing? Go over a review?"

Destiny nodded. "Yeah- pretty sure I do. So find a willing Descendant of Valkoor, tell them about this whole Time Magic and Black Magic brew-haha-"

"Not just tell them about those magics," Marcus corrected. "You and the rest of the Order need to start practicing them."

Destiny's jaw dropped. "Are you kidding?" Destiny practically shrieked. "We can't do that! We just don't have the capacity! Two schools at a time, mine is Death and Fire! And now how do you expect us to learn Black and Time Magic?!"

"Destiny, listen- the average life form outside of the main parts of the Spiral have unlocked approximentally ten percent of their brain. The average wizard has unlocked around twenty-five percent of the brain. Now Descendants- they have ahold of at least seventy-five percent of their brain's capacity, which allows them their power, the capability for their Auras, enables the Ordeal- it also allows them to be able to take a third, fourth, maybe even fifth school. And since you're at least- wait, do you know who you're descended from?" Marcus waited for Destiny to answer.

All Destiny did was solemnly shake her head.

Marcus just shrugged it off. "Anyways- me and any other Pure Descendant- we have about ninety percent of our brain, pretty much the limit we can rise. The only ones with their full mind's potential are Legendaries and the current Force Holder- the person in which the Force of the Spiral is currently residing in. Anyways, what I'm saying is that since all of you have at least seventy-five percent of your brains unlocked, so you can use those schools to learn at least one of the two schools of magic I just told you about."

Destiny just nodded. "So- I've got to tell about and train the Order in Black and Time magic, find a willing Descendant of Valkoor to join us, then gather them together and read the entire Prophecy of Fire?" Somehow that didn't seem as easy as it sounded.

Marcus nodded in approval. "Seems my work here is done." The Pure Descendant began to etch the Time Symbol in the air and was just about it before Destiny stopped him.

"Wait! I still have a question!"

Marcus stopped what he was doing, the spell on the brink of being brought to action.

"I-I was wondering- is there a Pure Descendant in my time? One Pure Descendant?"

Marcus hesitated before responding, then shook his head. "No. Not one Pure Descendant."

Destiny's hopes sunk, plunged into her hopes like a knife- until Marcus proceeded.

"There isn't one Pure Descendant in your time. There are two."

Unable to retain her shock, Destiny stumbled back and opened her mouth to ask Marcus what he meant- but the symbol was then cast. Marcus was gone, and slowly the hands of time started spinning around her again.

_Two Pure Descendants?_Destiny repeated in her head. _Woah._

Barely thinking, Destiny's hand shot to her pouch and lunged for her Communication Stone. Quickly she wrote in her scraggly handwriting, _Emergency Order meeting NOW. In the Commons. Rally the rest of the Order of the Spiral!_

* * *

><p>"I hope you like Marleybone,"Vladimir remarked as he led Llewella out of the Cathedral Spiral Chamber.<p>

Vladimir could tell that Llewella was awestruck at the sight of Reagent's Square- the gray paved streets, the dark starry sky thinly blocked by the aircar's smoke puffed out of the turbine engines, the dimly lit lampposts centering on dogs and cats standing upright in clothes that looked like it belonged a hundred years ago.

Llewella gasped in wonder. "This is like a living replica of nineteenth-century Scotland! Well… minus the animal civilians part."

Vladimir couldn't concentrate fully on Llewella's reaction- he only hoped that his home world was impressing his younger sister. Now that he finally had Llewella back, he needed to keep her, impress her and earn her respect. Because if Vladimir lost Llewella again…

Vladimir wouldn't think of it. He simply wouldn't.

Vladimir had been given the second chance he had been looking for for years. He would put that chance to use now.

Vladimir turned his head to Llewella. "So I take it you like it here?"

His hopes soared when Llewella responded."I'll admit that it looks a little dreary, but I love it!"

Vladimir grinned. "Do you want to know what the best part of it all is?"

"What is it?"

"We,"Vladimir pointed to both him and Llewella, "since our father-"

"Wait-Dad?" Llewella perked up at the mention of family. _Probably because she hadn't_ had _much family in a while,_ Vladimir reasoned with himself.

Vladimir smiled. "He's Vladimir Thorn Sr.," Vladimir explained, a sly and bragging grin crowning his face. "I was named after him, obviously- after one of the richest misers and diplomats of Marleybone."

Before Vladimir could go on again, Llewella quickly interrupted him before he could even start. "Oh, cool! What about our Mom?"

Vladimir froze. What was he supposed to tell her now?

Vladimir had almost forgotten about Rowan Thorn, and he preferred to keep it that way. But now that Llewella had brought up their Mom, Vladimir's thoughts skyrocketed to their deceased mother.

She had actually died giving birth to Llewella. Because she died when he was two was why he had almost no recollection of her. It was something that Vladimir had just plain adjusted to.

Some would, if put in the same situation as Vladimir and his Father, blame Llewella for Rowan's death. But the Thorns knew better than that- Llewella was what was left of Vladimir's Mom, so they cherished her greatly. Even if they hadn't realized her their blessing, they'd still recognize that it would have been what his Mom wanted.

But to reveal this to Llewella a second time would be utterly disasterous. Vladimir still remembered when before Llewella had disappeared, that a lot of nights she had cried herself to sleep because she longed to see her mom again and had often blamed herself for her death at ten years old or younger. Telling what happened to Mom to Llewella wasn't an option- he couldn't be the one to inflict the pain on her.

But Vladimir couldn't lie, either.

So quickly and miraculously, Vladimir was able to conjure a satisfying answer. "She's… somewhere else right now." There. That made it sound as if a little bit of Rowan Thorn remained.

Which it did… in Llewella. Anyone could see his Mom in Llewella- especially when they saw the eyes. Vladimir's father had always remarked that his kids 'seemed to have stolen Rowan's eyes and split it in two.'

People always saw her in Llewella… they could see good, purity.

The question was… what did people see… in _him_?

Vladimir woke from his thoughts just in time for Llewella's response. "Oh. Huh."

Luckily Vladimir was quickly able to forget about his mom. "Anyways- thanks to Dad and money- we Thorns are high life here in Marleybone. Heckhound, we even rule over part of it!"

Llewella's eyes shimmered in near-disbelief. "Do you mean… like, we're royalty?"

Vladimir took Llewella's suggestion into consideration. "I guess you could say something like that."

Llewella split her gaze from him and looked out into Marleybone once more. "You know, I've read _tons_ of books back on Earth where someone stumbles on another world and finds out that they're royalty there, but for it to happen to me… wow!"

Vladimir smiled weakly. He seemed to be doing a good job exciting Llewella.

Vladimir held his hand to Llewella the way an escourt would. "Well, shall we go?"Vladimir offered.

Llewella just smiled broadly as she took Vladimir's hand.

His back was straight and his face erected proud as he guided Llewella through Reagent's Sqare. Sharp eyes threw the duo second glances, some admiring, some questioning. But Vladimir quickly realized that Llewella was still in the Earth garb that she had arrived in.

Vladimir quickly gestured to a robe shop. "Want to get some clothes? Marleybonian outfits are the best in the Spiral."

"Best in the Spiral?" Llewella repeated, following Vladimir's action by looking to the shop. "Sounds fun!"

Vladimir felt like he was walking on Cloud 9 as they strode into the shop. Vladimir watched as Llewella fawned over the fashions, seeming to teleport from outfit to dress to hat. He supposed he should be getting used to teenage girls' abnormal obsession with clothes- even Neela provided an interest in them.

And apparently Llewella was agreeing with her brother that Marleybonian clothes were the best.

Finally Llewella settled on a formal Carnival Dress. Figured- despite the itchiness that girls claimed the dress had, it was most girls loved at first sight.

Only one thing- the colors Llewella chose. The base was a light green and the trim an almost golden-brown- the Life colors. For Llewella to naturally choose that color meant Llewella was in the School of Life, the polar opposite of both the Death School and Black Magic.

For Vladimir and Llewella to be in opposite schools did not bode well. It could very well be a sign of trouble.

Llewella once again put Vladimir's thoughts in half and built a bridge to allow herself to sneak her way in. "Well, what do you think?"

Vladimir then saw Llewella- apparently she had changed without his notice.

Llewella looked lovely- that was the only word that could be used to describe her. Vladimir instantly regretted wishing Llewella was in black like him. Green now seemed to be the only color Vladimir would ever want Llewella to wear.

Shortly Vladimir realized he was almost grinning like an idiot. "You look great."

Llewella smiled softly after reaching down to lift part of the huge skirt to avoid tripping, then took Vladimir's hand again.

Llewella looked at Vladimir, then nodded in approval as they exited from the shop. "You also look nice you know," she complemented her brother's tux-like outfit and small top hat, reminding her vaguely of one of those corny magicians back on Earth.

Then Llewella recognized Vladimir's jet-black hair, then frowned, as if noticing it for the first time. "Well… you could do without the hair, I'll admit."

Instantly Vladimir's hands lunged to his past-shoulder-length hair, gripping it fiercely."What's wrong with my hair?!" Vladimir exclaimed, horrified.

Llewella barely stifled a giggle at Vladimir's abnormal defensiveness of his hair. "Well…it's long. Very long. Almost as long as mine. You need to cut it."

Vladimir gasped at the very mention of the idea. "Cut my hair?" Vladimir reacted, his voice shriveling like a piece of paper being crumpled up into a ball. "But… if you think this is long, wait till you see Jason's!"

"Vladimir, "Llewella folded her arms, stopped walking, and began to tap her foot impatiently. "You need to get a haircut."

"No, I don-"

"You are going to get a haircut!"

"I'm going to get a haircut," Vladimir reluctantly agreed. For the love of the Spiral, Vladimir had somehow managed to forget how annoying little sisters could be.

* * *

><p>Destiny looked around the circle of the twelve members of the Order of the Spiral, all of them openmouthed and eyes wide- all but Emma, who was just plain confused.<p>

"Two unknown magics," Jason muttered, disbelieving. "I suppose Black does explain the spells Vladimir used in the Cavern Battle and the ambush before we were split, and before you guys," Jason pointed to newcomers Garrett, Emma and Connor, "joined. And the Time magic, in short, explains a _lot_- especially how you were able to meet Balance, Life, Ice, Fire and Storm. And how about half of us met Taryn, who's apparently a _Legendary_." Jason again shook his head in disbelief. "Taryn was a Legendary all that time…"

Destiny bit her lip. It was obvious that all this newfound information was a lot for the members to digest- it had been for her too. She shuffled her feet on the soft green grass uneasily as she reminded herself that there was still one more thing she had to tell them.

Destiny opened her mouth, then shut it again, unsure how this was going to come out. Destiny had imagined several tactics and results as how she was going to tell them that they needed to find a willing Descendant of Valkoor, but now that the time had finally come, all of them had been erased.

Luckily Noah temporarily solved the problem momentarily. "So… I'm a Descendant after all?" Noah's voice rose in joy, then quickly frowned. "Wait…" soon ice started to cling to Noah. "This means… I still haven't gone through-"

As if on cue, a hand shot up to grasp some of his blonde hair. Noah gritted his teeth, desperately unwilling to let a scream escape his lips. Slowly his body buckled, starting at the feet, rising to the knees, then to the chest as his blue eyes fluttered shut and ultimately collapsed, inserting his face into the Common's grass.

No one said anything, focusing on Noah's limp body. Then finally Esmee broke it. "Well…I suppose that's the last of us."

Destiny slowly nodded. All of them knew what was about to begin in Noah's head.

The Ordeal.

The cruel, sickening test for Descendants that took Nicolas's innocent life.

Now, could Destiny possibly permit herself to top that with the solemn news?

She had too.

"I-I-"all eyes turned to find the surprisingly small voice, "I didn't… tell you everything. There's more."

When a seemingly fitting silence was casted, Destiny continued. "We have to find one more Descendant. A Descendant of Valkoor Thorn."

As expected, Jason was the first of all of them to react. "A Descendant of _Valkoor_?" Jason almost yelled. "Even for us- that's_insane_!"

"I don't want to get another broken arm!" Natalie protested, pointing to her slung arm.

Ryan quickly asserted his attention to his older sister to keep from fully thinking about the new problem at hand. "Natalie, that'll be done healing possibly tomorrow- you're bringing it up _now_?"Ryan casually lifted an inquiring eyebrow.

Brown cheeks merged with crimson. "Well… just saying."

"Why even try to find one anyways?" Destiny heard Jessica mutter. "We're fighting against them, not with them."

Destiny paused. _Jessica has a point,_ she thought as her outer self vaguely took in Garrett ask, "Why's everyone freaking out?" and Jason turning around to answer.

Why bother finding a Descendant of Valkoor? They were fighting against them, why risk having an opponent infiltrating the Order… again?

They needed to know Black Magic.

They needed to complete the Thirteen.

To unite the posterity of all nine Legendaries.

"Guys!"

Destiny wasn't the only one stunned by Chris Soulhunter's sudden yell. Her head swerved to the near-Grandmaster conjurer.

_Chris is really starting to speak out, isn't he?_ Destiny briefly mused to herself. Ever since the Order had been split, something in Chris had… changed. At first, the Descendant of Myth rarely spoke a sole word. Now, after Chris had ended up remarking to her about how he had to pretty much lead Natalie's rescue mission since, according to him, Jessica had been too busy picking fights with Alexis and Esmee for unknown reasons, it was as if a spark had been lit, and that spark was slowly growing up into a fire-one not to be messed with. Slowly, Chris was giving himself a respected name in the Order.

Now Chris's dark eyes loomed over them all. "Stop acting like children!" When some of the members, Emma in particular, gave him questioning looks, Chris quickly added, "Stop acting like _younger _children! We are going to find a Descendant of Valkoor if it, Spiral so help me, _kills_ us! Now, if anyone still has a problem with that, speak up now, while everybody can hear you!"

No one said anything. Should it have been actually been there, cricket chirps would have fitted right in.

Chris nodded his approval. "Well then- we're finding a Descendant of Valkoor, since no one seems to have a problem with that."

Jason reminded himself of his Commander position and followed Chris, nodding. "Right Chris. We're going to start finding that Descendant- it won't be easy, but we're the Order of the Spiral." Jason acknowledged everyone with an uplifting smile. "And the Order of the Spiral can do this."

Almost right when he stopped, a yawn cut right into it. "You know, if you weren't so busy giving a 'Ra-Ra Go Team' pep talk, you could have just looked right back here." An icily familiar laugh accented the end.

Jason's head immediately spun around in response, then gasped.

Standing casually in the center of the Commons was him, in his usual black Valkyrie armor, short aqua hair and smirking dark eyes. His arms were proudly folded across his chest, back straight, emitting an aura of confidence.

His thin lips smiled. "The thing is, I'd actually love to join the party, if you'd be so kind."

Cody Shadowstrider.

Descendant of Death… and Valkoor.

Destiny's eyes enlarged. This was it, this was their chance, right here, right now, to get a thirteenth member. They had to convince him to join.

Or… did he already have plans to?

* * *

><p>"It sure looks… dark," Llewella noticed as she entered the gleaming Thorn Manor.<p>

Vladimir shrugged. "Oh, come on. Black's not that bad." How again could Vladimir convince a _theurgist_ of that? "We painted it black after you left, as a way of showing our grief."

"Vladimir? Who… who is this?"

Quickly Neela stepped out of the shadows, dressed in her new usual outfit, her red and black Valkyrie armor. However, Neela sported a ponytail this time.

Neela's eyebrows raised in amazement as Vladimir spoke. "Neela, this is my sister- Llewella Thorn. You know her."

Neela took a few cautious steps forward to examine Llewella. "Yes. I see." A small half smile lifted on Neela's right side of her face. "So. You really are her. Well, in that case- welcome home Llewella. I'm Neela Waterpetal."

Llewella scrunched her eyebrows. "Funny last name," she remarked.

"Rest assured that it's actually common-"

Neela tried to explain before Vladimir spoke. "Llewella, what last names _are_ common on Earth?"

Llewella scrolled down a mental list. "Let's see- Carson, Hendricks, Smith, Hunter, Neilson, Patterson-"

Already Vladimir was laughing. "Wow, how did you live in a world with last names as boring as those?"

Llewella's eyes sank to the polished ground. "Gee, didn't realize Earth was stupid."

Vladimir paled. "No no, that's not what I-" he attempted to rush before Neela cut him off.

"Llewella, may I ask your permission to borrow Vladimir for a second?" Neela inquired. "I know you just got reunited and all, but I do need to speak to him."

Llewella stole a glance at Vladimir, then nodded to Neela. "Of course," she reluctantly agreed, despite the insult.

Vladimir looked back as Neela led him away. "In the meantime, try looking around Thorn Manor- give yourself a tour."

Neela stopped at a corner, amber questioning blue. "So. What now?"

Vladimir was puzzled. "What now?" he repeated. "Wha- what do you mean by that?"

Neela pressed harder. "I mean _what now_." Then she sighed. "I mean- now that Llewella's back on apparently her own accord- what's to become of our goal?"

Vladimir had been rendered speechless. Then finally he replied, "I honestly don't know. The whole point of reviving him was to bring Llewella back! And now that she is- I'm not sure if there's still a reason why we should do it." Vladimir closed his eyes, unwilling to see Neela's face, full of disbelief. "I'm sorry, Neela."

He began to walk away when Neela called out to him again. "You didn't mention the second reason. The Spiral still needs a leader- and bringing him back to life is our only chance of getting that leader."

Vladimir stopped, unsure of what to say or what to do. Then slowly he turned to face Neela, then sighed. "Look- I haven't lost sight of it. I just- can't concentrate on it right now. My most important duty right now is to focus on Llewella. I just got my sister back."

Vladimir walked away from Neela as she cried, "And you'll have her forever! You won't be concentrating on it anymore- now I'm the only one who's still doing this!"

Vladimir gritted his teeth as he heard Neela call out again, "Four years of hard work, research- and now that we finally have all the components- you don't want to!"


	23. Part 10 Thorn and Descendant Part 6

_The Necromancer's Matter, Part 10; Thorn and Descendant (Part 6)_

Jason's hand immediately flew to his Dragon Rider's Staff. "You!" he exclaimed to the smug Cody.

Most of the other members just waited, shocked, wanting to see what Jason or Cody would do. Destiny was the most still of them all. Her half-brother, her half-brother…the son of Alex Deathcrafter and Cassandra Rubytail right in front of her eyes.

Cody casually lifted an eyebrow. "Really?" he asked. Then he just close his eyes and tore his armored arms apart, shaking his hands, palms facing them, in front of himself in disbelief. "I already said that I wanted to join the Order."

Chris's matching eyes narrowed. "Oh really? Why?"

Garrett and Connor were seething. "You're the one who took Dylan away from us! You led Dylan away from what was right!"

"Correction-he did it himself." Cody shrugged. "Now, can I join or what? Vladimir made me quite mad, you see."

Jason opened his mouth to say no and order him to leave, but Destiny was quickly able to cut in. Maybe no one else saw it, but Destiny did. Cody was the Thirteenth!

"What'd Vladimir do?" Destiny asked.

Cody's eyes swung to her. "He took something of mine. Something powerful. And now he is fully able to accomplish his goal. And the thing is- if you have hopes of stopping him, knowing what he's been up to for four years- well, you need me."

Finally the other members were able to see sense. All eyes turned to Jason, Ryan, Destiny or Chris. Sure, Chris wasn't the head, but he was starting to get respected and it was a possibility now Chris could become part of the Head of the Order. Finally Jason straightened himself and his staff.

"What's Vladimir doing?"

"Nothing good, let me tell you that," Cody explained simply. "But the odd thing-Vladimir thinks he's the good guy. And I thought it was good too. But, well, in short- he wants to bring someone back from the dead."

A bunch of reactions were signaled by those words. The Balance Trio gave each other glances- everyone knew what they were thinking- if there could possibly be hope for Nicholas and if Dylan had seen sense after all. Most of the members' eyes simply went wide- not Destiny's. She simply narrowed her eyes at her half-brother like Jason. This was actually no news to them- they actually heard some of Vladimir's intentions from Legendary Life.

"What components does he need?" Destiny questioned, testing Cody. Sure, she knew already that Vladimir had two things called the Helm of Power and the Onyx of Darkness, but this would be a test to see if Cody would tell the truth- if he had well-meaning intentions.

"The Helm of Power, Onyx of Darkness… and the War Sword."

Destiny raised her eyebrows. So Cody hadn't made things up. He really did want to join the Order of the Spiral- there was a chance that he would be turning good, that he would be the Descendant of Valkoor that they needed.

But he had added a third artifact. Could Cody know that she knew that she heard about the Helm and Onyx and be bluffing? But Destiny thought again, then was slowly able to recall Vladimir's words. "First the Helm of Power, then the Onyx of Darkness… all we need is the blade."

But was the Blade referring to the Blade of Seven or this so-called War Sword?

But they had almost all the Shards- only the Death Shard and Balance Shard was left. And Cody said they had completed their ingredients… so it wasn't the Blade of Seven.

"What's the War Sword?" Destiny asked. "And do they still need the Blade of Seven?"

Cody looked Destiny in the eye. "Actually, the whole Blade of Seven thing- they were after it, yes. But as an illusion to you guys. The Blade of Seven, once put together, would lead them to the War Sword- Valkoor Thorn's sword in which he injected his power into to combat the Blade of Seven."

Destiny was taken aback. Even Marcus hadn't told her that. But she quickly reasoned with herself- Marcus had probably known she would find out about it soon after.

"We'll accept you- on one condition," Destiny announced without Jason or Ryan's approval.

"What might that be?"

"You teach us Black Magic."

Cody was silent for a moment, stunned that they knew about Valkoor's School. Finally he said, "It's a very hard magic to learn. It's pretty much spells with another heavy layer over them. They take much time. You sure?"

All heads in the Order nodded.

Cody sighed. "All right- who'll go first to learn Black Magic?"

No one spoke for a while. Destiny couldn't blame them- no one was exactly fond of setting up a connection with Valkoor.

But if someone didn't volunteer, no one would.

Finally Destiny raised her hand. "I'll do it."

Cody nodded, grateful that someone finally stood up. "Let's go somewhere private- in order to learn Black Magic, you'll need all the concentration you can get."

* * *

><p>"Black Magic is about pretty much manipulating obstacles in your way to use them to your advantage," Cody explained once the half-siblings were alone. "You even kill, if necessary. Hate and revenge, manipulation and lust, fuel your power. Desire is the key. You got that?"<p>

Destiny nodded.

"Good. Now, a practice drill before you start any actual spells to sort of get you warmed up- imagine yourself in the middle of a circle. The inside of the circle is grass- the life. Your obstacle. You need to manipulate it, to kill it, smother it. You need to make it turn," Cody closed his eyes, then spread his arm around himself in a perfect circle, and in the process the grass following Cody's arm instantly turned from vivid green to the color of death.

"Black."

Cody opened his eyes as Destiny stared dumbfounded at the circle of grass. Cody had just switched its color, just like that. Without any actual spell.

"Now- you try. Hold out your arm the way I did, and spin around your circle- you need to split the grass's life form in two and use those halves to create a bridge for you. Now- keep in mind that you should not expect to get this on your first try. Almost no one does. For a person like you… I'd say it'd take about five to ten tries."

Destiny nodded. "All right."

Then Destiny closed her eyes, immediately seeing a mental image of the circle of grass around her and its white field of life. She looked at it with hatred, disgust, nothing more than something that would get in the way of her goal of accomplishing Black Magic… she had to complete Black Magic.

There was a lust in her throat for Black Magic suddenly- Destiny had to learn it, she had to learn it. Once she did, she would embrace the power, show the Order of the Spiral she still had good value even if she didn't know her ancestor.

Before she knew it, Destiny felt her body spinning around, arms outstretched like the hands of a clock, and at that same moment she heard a huge gust of wind seem to follow her, as if spinning around in circles but contained in a huge bubble.

"W-woah! Holy… what in the name of Thorn?!"

Destiny opened her eyes, then took a step back in amazement.

The circle of grass had been transformed completely into black. Destiny had aced it on her first try.

She looked to Cody, who blinked, then blinked again, barely believing the sight before his eyes.

"You," he slowly said, "are going to have such an easy time with Black Magic. The only, the only other person in history who's been able to complete this exercise on their very first try is Neela."

Destiny frowned. "What about Vladimir?"

"If I remember right," Cody recalled, "He had killed about half of the grass's life form. I got nothing on my first try, got it completely on my third try."

"So not even straight Descendants of Valkoor can usually do it too good?"

"No, not really. But- you did. I certainly don't know how or why, but you did." Cody sighed. "Now, come on, we need to get moving- Vladimir's probably heading to Dragonspyre any minute now and we gotta train eleven other people in the most complicated magic known to man."

"Wait… Vladimir's going to _Dragonspyre_?"

Cody nodded hastily. "Yes! Now, come on! We've got an Order to train!"

* * *

><p>The next time Llewella saw Vladimir, he looked as if he had seen a ghost.<p>

Being caring and compassionate all her life, it was only common sense for Llewella to immediately walk up to her older brother and rest a light hand on his shoulder. "You okay? What happened with…" Llewella struggled to remember her name for a little second, "Neela?"

Vladimir now seemed as if he was in a war with himself, one side pulling at him to do something and the other side pulling the first one to not do that. He was literally swaying, as if this were actually happening.

Finally Vladimir resolved his inner conflict. "I… Llewella… I need to tell you something. What me and Neela just argued about. I just… I think it's best you know. About your lineage."

Llewella tilted her head, inquiring. "Lineage?" she repeated as if the word was as new to her as Wizard City and Marleybone was.

Then Vladimir finally explained everything. He wove the picture in Llewella's head of the Legendaries, of the lineage, of the Order, of the events… his ultimate goal.

But as Vladimir was explaining his goal, Llewella's eyes grew to the size of dinner plates. What the… why was Vladimir planning THAT?! He thought it was so good when…

"Monster," Llewella breathed.

Vladimir furrowed his eyebrows. "Monster?"

Llewella drew in a shaky breath. No turning back.

"What you plan to do," Llewella began, "from the way you described it… you seem as if you know what you're doing, but you're not!" Llewella's voice heightened. "Why were you planning on that?! You can't do that! You can't revive him!"

"Llewella, I already told you, I'm not-"

But Llewella refused to let Vladimir explain. "But… you… you…"

Then Llewella couldn't reign in her temper anymore- which was saying a lot. After all, it did take a lot to make Llewella mad.

And this made Llewella mad beyond belief.

"YOU!" Llewella finally shouted, motioning her right arm to her side in an I've-had-enough guester. "You were planning to do it! You had the intentions… your sick intentions! Planning to do it is, in my opinion, just as bad as doing it! You're a monster!"

Vladimir's eyes grew. "Llewella, please-"

"No! I can't believe my own brother- I can't take this!"

Vladimir was horrified as he watched his younger sister make her way to the Thorn Manor exit, unable to prevent things from slowly and horrifically unfolding. After all, he couldn't make Llewella's choices.

"Wait! Llewella!" Vladimir clamped his eyes shut. "I-if y-you l-lea-leave… where would you go?" Vladimir was desperate- he was on the brink of losing her. Again.

Llewella paused, unsure of what to say. She looked down on the tiled floor, and bit her lip, not willing to show Vladimir that she was actually nervous- very nervous.

"Just… anywhere but here."

Then, swallowing a deep breath and knowing that she was going to regret this- Llewella pushed open Thorn Manor's twin doors and set out into the world the gray sky hovered above.

* * *

><p>Upon Llewella's leaving, the feeling seemed to come from his knees.<p>

It started there, then, like a virus, moved its way up his entire body. First the knees, then the chest, then the rest of his body, until Vladimir had crumpled down to the floor completely.

Vladimir let a scream of agony escape his lips, one that clearly expressed the loss of his sister- again.

It was clearly better to never have something then to have it and lose it again.

He writhed in emotional pain on the floor for what seemed like forever. Eternity was closing in on him, making sure he never escaped his torture.

Finally Vladimir was able to sneak his way out of it, though.

Vladimir finally stood up straight once he saw Neela standing there. He refused to make eye contact with her amber pools-

Vladimir had made everyone mad, lost everyone, as if his life had no meaning. First off, Cody quit. Then he made Neela mad by possibly quitting his goal. Now, when he told Llewella of his goal- she left.

His worst nightmare had come true. Llewella had left a second time. And it was intentional the second time.

Vladimir was surprised when Neela briskly approached him and rested a hand on his shoulder.

"I don't know what to say, really," Neela finally said after a short silence. "I-I'm sorry, I guess."

Instantly Vladimir felt guilty. He had mocked Neela's and his accomplishments, and yet Neela still came up to him to comfort him.

Vladimir then knew what he had to do.

Vladimir simply nodded. "Neela," he slowly began, "prepare our troops. Set a course to Dragonspyre soon- tomorrow, we'll… make…_history_."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: I'd planned for this chapter to be longer, but I just thought the last line right there was simply too good to leave off on. :P **

**Anyways. I'm going to try to get one update out a day, because I really want to begin putting up the sequel. Or maybe I should just begin posting it now, since most of you have already read TNM, plus it's very loosely connected with this. What do you guys think? Actually, know what? I'll just make a poll about it.**

**So expect an update tomorrow!**


	24. Part 10 Thorn and Descendant Part 7

As Vladimir and Neela prepared the few wizards they had under their command, Vladimir turned to Neela.

"You know, I need to ask you a quick favor," Vladimir began. "One that'll help us advance and push back the Order of the Spiral- something only you alone can do?"

Neela scrunched her eyebrows together. "What's that?"

"I fully realize that the Order will be going after the Blade of Seven, just as we had to find the War Sword," Vladimir explained. "In order to set them back… well, you're the only one who was able to access the cavern in Mooshu."

Neela cringed at the memory that hinted at her true lineage- the one she had realized long, long ago, before encountering her Ordeal… she _still_ hadn't gone through the Ordeal. The lineage she took advantage of…

Vladimir eyed Neela cautiously, breaking her momentary thoughts. "I still wonder how you were able to move that rock," Vladimir remarked. "I couldn't, no one else could... how could you?"

It was at that moment Neela refused to make eye contact with Vladimir, eyes shadowing something… shadowing something that she hadn't even told Vladimir.

And Neela told Vladimir everything.

Vladimir tilted his head quizzically. "Is… is there something bothering you?" he asked, concern for his friend ringing in his voice.

Neela didn't say anything for a moment, then sighed. "It's-it's nothing you have to know. Don't worry about it. Here- I'll just go ahead and get the job done."

Neela then quickly walked out of the room before Vladimir could say anything.

Vladimir scrunched his brows in concern. He was right. There was something Neela wasn't telling him.

But Vladimir couldn't focus on that. Not now.

* * *

><p>By the end of the night, the Order of the Spiral had done something amazing- they learned magic the fastest. Destiny had learned the spells Black Cat, Death Leprechaun and Death Wyvern, and besides Cody, she was the most experienced in the magic.<p>

The prize for third place went to Jessica. Being a Descendant of Death, it wasn't really a question that she fared better in Black Magic than other members of the Order, being almost done learning Death Wyvern and progressing almost as fast as Destiny did.

Fourth was Chris. He seemed to certainly have a knack for it, having finished Death Leprechaun. Fifth was Jason- he also seemed pretty good with it, but not quite as good as the four above him.

The other members after that were really on the same page-except for Alexis and Emma. Emma outright didn't want to learn Black Magic- the Balance Siblings had been pretty reluctant to take on this newfound magic. But Garrett and Connor agreed reluctantly to face this difficult challenge- and so far, they were also doing fairly good.

As for Alexis- she did try her best to learn Black Magic, but that certainly didn't help her at all. She was virtually at the bottom of the list- she hadn't even been able to get into an inch of killing the grass. This was highly likely due to her being a Descendant of Life.

After they trained for what sure seemed like forever, Cody raised a hand to the Order of the Spiral. "So," he began, a little out of breath, "who thinks that there's a chance we can take on Vladimir Thorn now?"

In response, cheers rose from the Order and carried on to the teal sky.

Cody grinned in approval, then turned to Jason. "Well… so…"

Jason nodded. "Okay Cody- you're in."

Cody acted cool about it, simply nodding, but Destiny had a nudge that there was a lot more cheering going on in there than the Descendant of Valkoor let on.

Destiny then drew in a deep breath. "Well- now that we have all Thirteen members… I got something from Marcus." She chose that moment to hold up the wrinkled paper marked with red ink. "The final lines of the Prophecy of Fire."

Jason studied Destiny earnestly as Ryan revealed the other two fragments of the Prophecy. "Well then- let's hear it, how about?"

Ryan nodded. "From the start," he agreed as he handed the parchments to Destiny.

Destiny nodded and began repeating the Prophecy. She read,

"Thirteen shall take a stand and take a challenge,"

The Thirteen members of the Order of the Spiral. The first two were Ryan and Natalie, the founders and Descendants of Storm. Next to join, three and four, had been Jason and Chris, Descendant of Fire and the Descendant of Myth, after realizing Vladimir wasn't all that. The fifth was herself, sixth to join was her cousin Esmee, Descendant of Ice. Seventh and eighth were Alexis, the Descendant of Life, and Jessica, one of the Descendants of Death. Ninth was Noah, apparently a Descendant of Time. Ten, eleven and twelve were the Descendants of Balance Connor, Emma and Garrett. And the final one, number thirteen, was Cody Shadowstrider, Descendant of both Valkoor and Death.

Yes, they were complete.

"Weary of age and time,

All of great lineage,

One to betray in the land of the forest,"

Neela's betrayal. Destiny remembered it all too well- she would prefer not to.

"One to join then, another found with the enemy,"

That was referring to Esmee and Alexis's joining. Esmee joined in the fight with Neela and Vladimir at Grizzlehiem, then Alexis had been found with Vladimir.

"One in the peaceful land,"

No doubt it was talking about Jessica.

"Three withstanding a glitch in time,"

Destiny wondered if the three was referencing towards her, Ryan and Jason or Garrett, Connor and Emma. Her question was quickly answered when she moved on.

"Five of Balance will be found in the glitch of time,"

Ah. So the three was indeed talking about her, Ryan and Jason. The five of Balance-Emma Strongblood, Garrett Dragonblade, Connor Seagem, Dylan Nightfinder, and-Destiny hardly dared remember his name- Nicholas Ashwielder.

"Five to start,

But one shall not pass the test;"

Destiny cringed as she remembered Nicholas yet again. And if it was painful for her-she could only imagine how much more painful it was for Connor, Garrett and Emma as she read that line, her voice shaking.

What were their reactions? Did they try to act strong, or did they let it flow out? But Destiny would rather not find out, not daring to meet their solemn-filled eyes.

Ah. So the three was indeed talking about her, Ryan and Jason. The five of Balance-Emma Strongblood, Garrett Dragonblade, Connor Seagem, Dylan Nightfinder, and-Destiny hardly dared remember his name- Nicholas Ashwielder.

"Another will turn to the enemy,"

Now Destiny knew she couldn't look at the Balance Siblings no matter what.

"And in the end only three shall remain."

Destiny then drew in a deep breath as all these memories came flooding back to her. Reading the Prophecy- it was painful. It was as if you were re-experiencing all those events a second time and in a faster motion this time.

She wanted to earnestly quit reading then and there. But Destiny wasn't done- she had yet to reveal the final lines.

So, almost against her own will- Destiny reached out and began to read the final lines.

"Part of the enemy will deem himself good,

A powerful rage unleashed-

One that will reawaken him, with the power of the Legendaries

A soul split,

Blood and carnage will follow in his wake,

Death shall fully claim a numerous population,

The Holder of the Force being one in death's arms,

Passing down and becoming Thorn's Burden,

The two that are Pure rising up,

Joining together in mind and body, heart and soul,

To conquer the horrendous test,

But in the end it will come down to only one,

The girl of Death and Fire, who's life will be reaped

In order to preserve the lives of others."

Destiny's eyes grew wide as she read the last two lines of the altogether Prophecy of Fire. _The girl of Death and Fire, who's life will be reaped in order to preserve the lives of others. _

The girl of Death and Fire…

That was Destiny.

Realization dawned on her as she dropped the fragile parchment as if it burned her, not watching it feather down. Breaths came in deep, ragged gulps.

Soon, she was going to die. Either that, or everyone else would.

End of Part 10

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Phew, that was a pain, getting that all up. I'm not gonna say why. But at the same time I was listening to Sunset Horizons (the music that plays in the KHII Secret Ending) while I was looking over this, and it made reading the prophecy seem VERY epic.**

**Even without Sunset Horizons playing in the background, that part right there is definitely one of my favorites right there. It recaps the entire events of TNM, plus foreshadows at things to come. If you're one of the people who finished it on Central, those final lines are pretty freaking clear to you.**

**So tomorrow, Part 11 begins! That is just. . . oh my gosh, definitely my favorite Part out of all 13, and I think that may show in some bits. To those who haven't completed it, be very excited. It's gonna be epic. ;)**


	25. Part 11 TBotE P1 Ancestry Part 1

_The Necromancer's Matter, Part 11; The Beginning of the End, Part 1; Ancestry (Part 1)_

"Put your hand on the rock Destiny," Ryan encouraged. "That's how you did it last time, wasn't it?"

Destiny nodded affirmation to Ryan and the rest of the Order of the Spiral. She wanted to get her mind fiercely off of her set fate-

The girl of Death and Fire who's life will be reaped…

Destiny shook her head rapidly, trying to prevent tears from streaking down. Her fate was horrible! And the Girl of Death and Fire… who else would that be pointing to, honestly?

Well, at least everyone else had a better fate, even if most of the final lines didn't sound good. Blood and Carnage… Thorn's Burden… Death fully claiming…

At least we also now have all the shards of the Blade of Seven, Destiny reminded herself. That's good- very good.

Destiny placed her hand firmly on the smooth stone as she closed her eyes again, remembering what had happened almost right after she had read the complete Prophecy of Fire.

"That's rather morbid," Cody had chuckled as Destiny was still in shock. "But look on the bright side- since you've let me join, I have these to give to you!"  
>After he said that he drew two things from his pouch. One was as black as night, sending chills up everyone's spine. Black, mysterious mist seemed to swirl in the big shard, inviting, alluring, but at the same time you knew that nothing good would come out of it in the end.<p>

The Death Shard.

The second thing was small, the edges heavily jagged. Sand swirled and twisted, churning, as if you were looking at a desert through a glass, forming a broad field of tan.

The Balance Shard.

Jason gasped and slowly dared to walk up to Cody, rewarded by earning both the Death Shard and the Balance Shard. He was very careful not to bring the Shards close together- they had all learned their lesson when Ryan accidentally brought the Storm and Life Shards together.

And from what Taryn/Time had told them, that was nice.

Chris smiled broadly, a rare thing. "So- we have all pieces to the Blade of Seven! We… we can go down to the Forge and piece the Blade together and stop Vladimir Thorn!"

Cody nodded rapidly. "Exactly! Common- remember that cavern we fought in in Mooshu? Now remember that door with the Myth symbol? That's the entrance to the Forge, in case you don't know! Now let's go- Vladimir will probably be at Dragonspyre at any moment!"

So here the Order was, right there and then, ready to piece together the most powerful weapon ever created.

Finally Destiny decided it was time to push the rock away, so she gritted her teeth as she felt her arm surging forward with strength. Soon it was no longer in contact with the huge, circular rock- it was in contact with thin air.

Once again, she had succeeded in pushing it.

Natalie nodded briefly. "Let's go!"

All together, the Thirteen members of the Order of the Spiral raced down the thin, tan slope down to the Mooshu cavern, single file since the path down was so narrow, not even wide enough for two people to walk through shoulder-to-shoulder. Sweat beaded on all of their foreheads, eyebrows creasing together in utmost concentration and focus. This was it, the final battle… they had to stop him at all costs…

Once they arrived at their destination, they all skidded, barely able to keep from shoving themselves into each other in an intense flurry of excitement. Quickly they all regained their balance, knowing they had to quickly get inside the Forge.

Destiny was the first to turn her head around. Upon doing so, pools of emeralds shrunk as white grew large in horror. She felt as if she had just gotten punched in the stomach- that's how shocked she was.

"No…" Destiny dared to breathe.

Sure enough, there was the door alright, with the chipping bright yellow pain and the dark blue Myth symbol etched onto the top.

Only unlike last time- it was burned down.

Their chance to create the Blade of Seven, their one shot- was instantly destroyed.

* * *

><p>"Guys!" Destiny yelled. First she found out she was supposed to die, now their shot of putting the Shards together was shattered. What next? How about Vladimir actually fulfilling his goal, whatever that was?<p>

Once Destiny thought of it, with her luck… that's probably what would happen.

Ryan's angry yell cut off her thoughts. "No! Come ON!" His cheeks looked as if it had been cooked in the oven, hands shaking in utmost fury. "Vladimir!"

Esmee was almost crying. "No, no, no, no! This can't be happening!"

Emma tilted her head in confusion. No one blamed her, really- after all, she was nine. Garrett and Connor placed themselves in front of her, as if they expected the door to charge straight towards them any moment.

Amid all the chaos, Chris seemed to be the only one still swimming in reason. He thought hard for a moment, clearing away all screams and tears of defeat. There had to be another way… after all, Myth wouldn't just create one entry, would he?

Chris suddenly remembered his Aura, how it had come to use when battling Vladimir in Thorn Manor in Natalie's rescue mission. He had been able to make objects pretty much pop out of thin air- being a Descendant of Myth, he could bring objects to life.

Chris closed his dark eyes and scrunched his eyebrows in pure concentration. He focused on the blueprints of Myth's Forge… there had to be another entrance…

Suddenly he felt something drop into his hands. Chris hesitated- what if it failed? What if he opened his eyes to nothing but disappointment?

But if he didn't open his eyes, he also wouldn't know if he had succeeded.

Chris willed himself to open them, and smiled brightly as his camouflaged pupils rested on a thin, blue paper, taking the shape in the form of a scroll. It worked!

"Guys!" Chris called, and soon all eyes swerved to him, confused. After all, their chance at putting the Blade of Seven was ruined and he was smiling?

But Chris was quickly able to explain why to them. "I've got a blueprint of the Forge! Perhaps there's another entrance! After all- Legendaries aren't exactly dumb."

Murmers awakened in agreement. The Order began to crowd around Chris as his fingers slowly unfurled the blue blueprints.

Several pairs of eyes slid across the blueprints, a diagram of crisscrossing lines and neat handwriting spread out all over the page, numerous loops and twists and sketches nicely filling out the thin blue paper.

Chris's forefinger traced over the blueprint. He began at a darker shaded part that was meant to represent the doorway from Myth's Cavern, and it traced around the exterior lines until it stumbled across another part that was shaded darker- one that represented another entry.

"Haha!" Chris pumped his fist in the air. "I knew it! There's another entrance!"

Everyone was grinning broadly. "So where is it?" Ryan asked, excitement urging Chris to quickly reveal what he found.

Chris squinted as his smile slowly died. He brought the blueprint closer to him to take a better look at it-

"Ah, so that's where it is," Chris mumbled. "I think we can get there- it will be a little tough, but I think we can manage."

Destiny tilted her head quizzically, the joy at finding another entrance to Myth's Forge overcoming her prophesied death- that is, if she was a Pure Descendant. "Where is it?" she asked earnestly.

Chris brought his head up. "It's located at Dragonspyre. Dragonspyre Academy, to be precise. I'm guessing it would be in the Myth School."

Ryan shrugged. "That's good, good! We can get there easily!"

But only Jason seemed to see the sense in Chris's reluctance. "Actually, not really easy Ryan," he replied slowly as he scrunched his eyebrows in thought.

Ryan groaned in annoyance. "Tell me- how is it not easy?"

"Well, for one, none of us are enrolled in Dragonspyre Academy. And that's the only way we're going to be able to access the entrance. And second- we don't have time to enroll."

Destiny grit her teeth in thought. "But we need to get to that entrance," she pointed out.

Jason nodded. "Yes, we all know that," he replied a little angrily. "But the thing is, we need to find the entrance and stop Vladimir- at the same time! And not to mention, there's Alexis looking after Noah back in the Commons!"

All the members went silent. Finally Esmee suggested, "We split up."

Jason swiveled around to stare at the Descendant of Ice. "Again?" he almost shrieked. "You know what happened last time we were split up!"

But no one listened to Jason- instead they praised Esmee for her idea. "Jason- Esmee's right," Garrett pointed out. "We will have to split up- after all, we don't have to sign up thirteen people for Dragonspyre Academy, do we?"

Jason opened his mouth to argue, but then logic slowly reasoned with him and the Commander shut his mouth.

Then he sighed in defeat. "You're right Esmee," Jason admitted. "In order to get this accomplished, we will need to split up."

Jessica nodded. "How?"

Jason thought for a moment, then finally agreed with himself on a solution. "We need two groups- one to go to the Myth School at Dragonspyre Academy and try to find the alternate entry to Myth's Forge, and the other one…"

Jason's unfinished sentence mysteriously hung in the air, desperate to be finished yet no one stepping up to do the job.

Finally Garrett broke the silence. "What would the other group be for?"

Jason sighed, tilting his head back and forth, at war with himself on whether or not to do this. Then he seemed to agree on his idea.

"We need to rally wizards," Jason wanted to whisper the idea, have it not really be true, but as the Commander- he couldn't exactly do that. "We need a large amount of people to combat Vladimir- as a rich kid, I think that he could have a few troop or bodyguards to his disposal."

Jessica groaned. "Do we really need to tell a bunch of other people about the Legendaries?"

"And we would just be sending a bunch of people to their deaths," Connor added. "We really don't want another Nicholas." Instantly Connor clamped his hands over his mouth, as if to take back the added statement.

The members that had gotten to know Nicholas hung their heads down in part respect for Nicholas, part ashamed at the idea of having a repeat of his death. No one spoke for a while, unsure of what to say- if they said anything, who knew what kinds of fights it could bring up? More horrific ideas?

Jason once again took charge. "That's why we need to gather wizards for our cause," he replied in opposition to the silence, earning all the members' attention. As twelve pairs of eyes bored into him, Jason quickly added, "So we don't have a lot more Nicholas'. Because Cody did promise that doom would come to the Spiral should Vladimir not be stopped in time."

Shrugs of agreement responded, along with an unsurprising scowl of disapproval from Jessica.

Jason quickly took this as approval from the Order before they could change their minds. Rapidly he organized the members into the groups. "Okay, so Chris, Cody, Destiny, Jessica and I will go on down to the Myth School, enroll as students for a time or take a little tour, and find the entrance. Alexis is looking after Noah while he's out, so they're unavailable. Esmee, Garrett, Connor, Emma, Ryan, and Natalie will all go down and rally a few more wizards to form a kind of army."

"Why do I have to go rally?" Ryan complained in a somewhat whiney tone. "I'm an experienced fighter, the seargent of the Order of the Spiral- I want to go to Dragonspyre and help find Myth's Forge!"

"Because!" Jason practically hissed, "You're probably the best speaker out of every single one of us!"

Ryan opened his mouth to argue, but quickly closed it.

Jason nodded slightly. "So it's decided. Come on- we need to quickly get to work, all of you."

* * *

><p>"Dragonspyre looks… nice," Destiny commented as she looked around. There was the sleek, crimson-and-violet-tiled ground, the looming purple arches in the Bascilla that bordered the swirling aqua portals, and stale air swirled, as if adding a final touch to the menacing sight. The clear blue sky really contrasted with the more… horror look that Dragonspyre held.<p>

Jason chuckled. "Believe it or not, you really get used to it," the Grandmaster shrugged as he began descending the swirling stairs.

"Well, there are just some things in life you just can't get used to, you know?" Destiny replied as she and Jessica followed. "Like the dogs in Marleybone," she added, her eyes bulging again at the memory. "Dogs… on their hind legs…" the Magus shivered.

Cody rolled his eyes. "Let me get this straight," he said, disbelieving. "The dogs in Marleybone give you goosebumps?" He looked at Destiny strangely, as she had told him that she was a purple unicorn with a heckhound tail.

"YES!" Destiny shrieked right in Cody's ear.

Alarmed, Cody jerked away from Destiny as Jessica chuckled at the scene, amused. "Geez, girl!" Cody almost yelled. "Okay- so you don't like dogs! What're you gonna do now, tell me that we're related?"

This struck Destiny like a stake, her blood instantly freezing to ice. She just stood there, mouth hanging open slightly, not moving a muscle as if she were some ice sculpture. Finally she tore her eyes away from Cody's. Now was the big confrontation.

"Actually… yes."

Cody squinted in disbelief. "What?" he asked as if he hadn't heard her.

"You heard me," Destiny persisted as the other three decided to stay out of this confrontation. "Your parents… Alex Deathcrafter… and your mom-"

Cody jerked back again. "Okay, how you know that my Dad's name is Alex Deathcrafter, I don't know," Cody began, "but no one knows my Mom! Don't even-"

"Actually, I do know your Mom," Destiny quickly cut in. "Her name is Cassandra Rubytail. She is a Grandmaster conjurer, married to Jared Lifegrove, formerly Alex Deathcrafter until he abused her. She left her child with him in her rush- that child is you. Once she married Jared, she had five children- Samantha Firetalon, Scarlet Lotuspetal, twins Thomas and Hunter Emeraldshard… and me."

Cody didn't say anything for a while, just staring at her, unsure of what to say. Did he believe her? He knew he shouldn't… but Destiny seemed so sure of herself that this Cassandra Rubytail was his Mom.

"We're half-siblings, Cody," Destiny struggled to continue when Cody didn't respond. She drew in a deep breath as emerald locked with dark. "Cassandra Rubytail is the mother of both of us."

Cody held the lock for a second, speechless, then he finally broke the sad gaze away.

Jason quickly cleared a silence before it could come. "Come on- all of you," Jason announced after clearing his throat. "We have an Academy to take a tour of."

Everyone simply nodded as they followed Jason down the staircase. Once arriving at the portals, they all glanced around for a bit before Jason pointed to one and directed, "Over there."

Sure enough, there was a clear, defining image of a towering school with multiple doors with the school symbols spread out evenly on different levels. The image was a little blurry, rippling back and forth like water.

Then, one by one, the members plunged themselves into the rippling image, first Jason, then Chris, then Destiny, then Jessica and Cody.

Time to find the entrance.

* * *

><p>"Why do we get assigned the boring job?" Esmee groaned as she shut the Wizard City Spiral Chamber door behind her. "Well, at least, I always do, at least. Just because I'm a Descendant of Ice doesn't mean I'm not capable! After all, I can freeze things!"<p>

"And I can shoot out lightning and Jason sends me out too," Ryan grumbled along. "But yet again- it's like Jason said. I am a good speaker- we all have reasons why we're here."

"Well, yeah, that explains it for you, but not for-"

Garrett quickly spun around to face Esmee. "A good leader puts people where they want to be. A great leader places people where they need to be."

Esmee stared at Garrett for a moment, then he blushed. "Just… repeating something that Nicholas would often say," he muttered.

Yet again no one said anything as they exited the Spiral Chamber.

Natalie seemed to be the only one to relish the fresh air once they went out. "It's a really nice day out," Natalie remarked once they exited Ravenwood with the provided tunnel and entered the Commons. "And really, that's saying a lot, because it's always nice in the Commons."

"How do you know it's not just another one of those days?" Connor looked at Natalie quizzically.

Natalie shrugged. "I just know."

Quickly they were cut off by two girls- one of them was clearly a master necromancer, with long auburn hair and twinkling yet concerned violet eyes with a commander's uniform. Her arm was draped around a younger girl, who looked about fourteen. The younger girl was nervous, dressed in a fancy green and tan Marleybonian carnival dress. Her hands twirled around each other nervously, jet-black hair somewhat matted in the essence of stress.

"I- I just don't know what to do!" the girl, looking to be a theurgist, wailed to the older necromancer. "He-he… I shouldn't have run off like that! What was I thinking?! I had found my true family in years- and I run away just because he had originally had bad intentions! I want to go back! I really want to, but I just can't!"

The necromancer attempted to soothe the younger one as Ryan, Natalie, Esmee, Garrett, Connor, and Emma all exchanged worried glances.

Finally Emma said in a small voice, "What's wrong with her?"

Garrett shrugged. "I don't know- but she seems really miserable."

Before anyone could say anything more, Emma's head darted around back and forth before running straight towards the theurgist.

Connor groaned. "Oh geez," he muttered briefly to himself. Then he composed himself and yelled, "Emma!" as he began to give chase to the nine-year-old.

Emma's auburn hair bounced in the air as she ran to the theurgist eagerly, one leg dashing in front of the other in an excited pattern. Emma skidded on her heels, making a small squeak on the cobblestone as she reached her destination.

Emma laid a hand on the theurgist, startling her as the other members caught up to her. "What's wrong?" the Balance Novice asked in her voice that showed off innocence.

The girl turned her head to look at Emma- with startling blue eyes. Blue eyes… aqua eyes… that seemed so, so familiar…

The girl smiled weakly- the best she could manage for now. "Nothing for you to worry about," she croaked.

Emma just kept looking at the theurgist with sad eyes as she wrapped her arms around the theurgist's waist. The theurgist was taken aback by this surprising gesture of love, but eventually gave in to the warmth.

Natalie smiled hugely. "So sweet!" she half-whispered to herself.

Ryan smiled a little, but that quickly ceased into a frown as he remembered something that the theurgist had said… something about bad intentions.

Ryan cleared his throat, somewhat reluctant to break up the sweet moment, but when the theurgist looked up, Ryan couldn't take it back. So he might as well proceed.

"If you'd excuse me," Ryan began, "but… what exactly happened?"

The girl once again returned to her depressed state of mind. "I don't know if-"

"Something about bad intentions?" Ryan quickly got down to the point.

Slowly the theurgist nodded. "I just arrived here in Wizard City, a little more than twenty-four hours ago," she began to explain. "I found out that I'm actually a wizard- one in Life, to be exact. Then, after that… I met a guy in Ravenwood. About sixteen, seventeen, somewhere around there- shoulder-length black hair that I recommended he should cut, same eyes as mine. I found out that he was actually my older brother! Then, on top of that, I found out that we were the richest family in this world where dogs are people!"

Ryan and Natalie exchanged worried looks at the girl's familiar description.

"I… I should have been happy," the girl's voice toned down to a whisper, barely audible. "Right then and there- I had it all, really. But then I found out that he had thought I was dead, and what he planned to do to get me back… it was horrible. Awful. My brother didn't have any more intentions to do this now that I had returned- but I was still downright horrified. So horrified that in the rush of the moment- I ran away."

The girl winced at the memories, and tears began to prick at the bottom of her eyelids. Shortly they cascaded down her face in straight lines.

Ryan didn't know what to say. He didn't want to begin interrogating her about whether or not her brother was indeed Vladimir Thorn- he hadn't known that Vladimir had a younger sister.

"What's your name?" Ryan asked softly. There. When she revealed her last name, there was a chance that she could reveal if her brother was Vladimir.

The girl looked up, opening her mouth with full intentions to respond, but quickly burst into tears again.

The older necromancer girl, who Ryan had almost forgotten was there, finally made herself known. "Her name's Llewella," she explained. "On Earth it was Llewella Carson- here it's apparently Llewella Thorn."

Ryan was barely able to stifle a gasp of shock at the resolution. However, he did think that a flash of surprise escaped his violet irises.

"Mine's Destiny, Destiny Deathflame," she explained. Ryan tilted his head in confusion. Another Destiny. Huh. But yet again, there were a lot of Destinys in the Spiral- one of the most common girl names.

Ryan ran multiple lines and expressions through his head, carefully picking out what to say to Llewella and Destiny D. In the end, he carefully resolved to say to

Llewella as he took her hand assuringly, "Llewella- do you want me to help you get your brother back?"

Ryan thought he saw a spark of hope ignite in Llewella's eyes.

* * *

><p>"Names?"<p>

Chris smiled, giving the registrar a smile that seemed to charm most teachers. He tilted his head slightly for more effect. "Chris Soulhunter, Grandmaster Conjurer."

The registrar rolled her spectacles up the bridge of her nose as she jotted Chris's name down with black cursive handwriting on the paper. Her bored gray eyes raised to look at Chris once she was done. "So you're not a confirmed attendant of Dragonspyre Academy, correct?"

Chris nodded. "None of us are, really," he gestured to Jason, Cody, Jessica and Destiny. "We just don't know if, Dragonspyre Academy is really, you know," Chris flipped his hands around for extra effect, "right for us. Perhaps we can take a tour?"

The registrar thought about this for a brief moment, then sighed. "I suppose," she agreed reluctantly in a monotone voice. She stood up as she waved her hand, signaling them to follow her.

Most of the members barely even paid attention to what the registrar even had to say- besides, she seemed more bored of Dragonspyre Academy than enthusiastic.

The tour was somewhat tedious, most of them just itching to get inside the Myth School.

After what seemed like forever, a sudden gong rung, it's sound vibration ringing throughout the red, structured Academy and sending most of the members' hands flying to their ears. When it ceased, they noticed the students pouring out of the schools.

The registrar shrugged. "So there you have it," she concluded as she began walking away. "If you'd like to explore more on your own, feel free to do so."

Chris nodded. "Thank you!"

As soon as the registrar's back was turned, Jason and Chris nodded to the other three members. "Let's go, now! This is the only chance we have!" Jason urged.

"Right!" Destiny chorused.

They ran almost headfirst into the Myth School, overly desperate to find the entry to Myth's Forge. The group sparrowed through even more students who came out, anxious to go to their next class.

The interior of the Myth School was quite a sight. Long desk-benches stretched in two rows, numerous books topping them off. The desks were placed in front of the other, slightly lower than it's predecessor, therefore there was a desk on either side of a step. Chalk flew and wrote on the board, as if an invisible teacher were righting. Myth school banners flanked either side of the chalkboard.

"Okay, so we don't have much time," Jason pointed out. "We need to move and we need to move fast. The door to the Forge is hidden here somewhere- I can feel it and I'm sure all of you can do the same."

Cody, Destiny, Jessica and Chris nodded, confirming Jason's statement as Jason finished. "Let's go!"

Immediately the members spread out as if they were the edges of an explosion. Cody's hands felt around the smooth walls to the right and Jessica felt the left all. Jason felt around the floor, looking to see if there were a kind of trapdoor.

Destiny and Chris however, weren't as quick as the two necromancers and pyromancer. Destiny mainly looked around, narrowing her eyes into almost thin slits, looking for even the most faint of signs…

And eventually a glowing, little white rectangle suddenly showed up on the chalkboard. But as quick as it showed up, it quickly disappeared, as if it were a faint border around an object.

Chris also seemed very focus, just staring at the chalkboard. Thinking that Chris might have also sensed it, Destiny quickly nudged him. As a result, Chris jumped as if he were electrocuted and quickly turned his attention to Destiny.

Destiny accused a finger at the chalkboard. "Did… did you see that?"

Chris hastily nodded. "You bet I did."

Excitement quickly worked its way into Destiny's veins. "C'mon," she quickly muttered after a deep breath. "Myth School, Myth's Forge, line on the chalkboard- can't be a coincidence."

Destiny and the Descendant of Myth sped down the steps to the suspicious chalkboard, both placing their palms on it as if on cue. They stared at the chalkboard intently…

There it was again.

Only this time the white boarder burned brighter, thicker, and kept zooming in and out, appearing and disappearing constantly. After looking at it for a while, they soon also saw a faint, yellow assortment of lines burn in the middle- a shape that was all too familiar.

The Myth Symbol.

Chris seemed to awaken out of a kind of trance before smacking his palm on the chalkboard, awakening the other three. "We found it!" Chris proclaimed.

Immediately Cody, Jessica and Jason all dropped what they were doing and eagerly joined them. "Where is it?" Jason questioned while he ran down. "I sure don't see anything."

Destiny and Chris both looked back to the chalkboard- sure enough, the boarder and the Myth Symbol were still burning on and off, like a holographic image.

"Y-you can't see it?" Destiny knitted her eyebrows together in concern.

"See what?" Jessica asked. "I don't see anything but a chalkboard. That's all you're pointing to, really."

Destiny and Chris gave each other worried looks. They were the only two who could see it. It made sense why only Chris would be able to see the aura of the door to Myth's Forge… but why Destiny?

Destiny gulped. If this was a sign that she was any kind of Pure Descendant- because at this point, there seemed to be a pretty high chance- if she was a Pure Descendant, she would die. It was as simple as that.

While the other members weren't looking, Destiny quickly swiped a hand over her forehead to stop all possible beads of sweat from forming.

Chris began to study the chalkboard again. "Well, if you see it or not, I know for a fact that somehow, this chalkboard leads to Myth's Forge," Chris stated as-a-matter-of-factly. "We just gotta find out how it leads there."

Jason nodded. "Well- I'll take your word for it."

Chris started feeling around the dusty chalkboard, leaving small hand imprints as he did. Once he even put an ear to the chalkboard, as if trying to detect whether or not it was hollow.

Jason though checked the edges of the chalkboard, and then peered in closer when he found that the chalkboard seemed to be just faintly apart from the wall.

Jason tore his eyes away from it for a second to half-shout, "Stand back guys! I think I've got it!"

Once everyone else backed away from it, Jason bit down on his bottom lip as his arms made an effort to push the chalkboard to the other side- and in response, the chalkboard slid to the other side.

Destiny then grinned madly at what she saw- a door planted right on the wall, rather simple, with thin brass hinges… and a faint Myth symbol on it in the exact shape that she and Chris had seen.

Destiny laughed in relief. "We found it!"

Jason hooted in joy, Chris smiled so big that Destiny thought for a second that it would outgrow it's face, Cody gave a distinct nod of approval and Jessica pumped her fist in the air. "We did it!"

Cody nodded. "Yeah yeah, we did it, all that jazz- now let's actually get in and actually do the fun stuff!" Cody quickly half-snapped half-cheered.

Jason was the first one to respond to Cody's suggestion, quickly swinging the door open, not caring about the leftover chalkboard. The entire Spiral would know about the Legendaries and Descendants sooner or later today. "Quickly, get in! This is it!"

He took a deep breath as he hoisted himself up into the entryway engraved in the wall.

Instantly the somewhat repulsive smell of burning metal fled to him, and his eyes swept around Myth's Forge as the other Descendants and Destiny climbed in after him. Hammers, thongs and other metalworking equipment hung anciently on the wall, watching a large wooden tub of water below them. An anvil stood proudly across it, the polished metal trying to stretch from one end to another. Finally, smoke bellowed out of a large stove, a fire already dancing inside its body.

Jessica squinted in suspicion. "Wait… it looks as if it's been used… quite recently, actually."

"That's because it _was_, Descendant of Death."

A sharp, hissing voice cut through the Order, swinging their attention right over to her. They all gasped when they saw her, easily recognizing her with her ponytailed jet-black hair and black and red Valkyrie armor, a triumphant smirk colored across her face and eyebrows scrunched evilly.

"Miss me?" Neela sneered.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Ah, this is a longer chapter that's like, what? Twice as long as the ones I've been posting lately? Eh, whatever. That'll just satisfy you guys. :P**

**Thank you guys for reviewing! Seriously- even though it was just two of them on the last chapter, it's a lot better than nothing. ^.^ And DeathySophia, yes, there are more TLT chapters on Central. I'm in the process of writing another one. Hopefully, at the rate things are going, the FanFiction should be caught up with Central pretty soon.**

**So see ya guys, and for those who haven't read it already, expect a _very_ epic chapter tomorrow!**


	26. Part 11 TBotE P1 Ancestry Part 2

_The Necromancer's Matter, Part 11; The Beginning of the End, Part 1; Ancestry (Part 2)_

After receiving Llewella's reaction, Ryan turned back to the part of the Order he was with. "Come on guys," he urged. "Time to rally."

They all nodded their affirmation while Llewella and Destiny D. remained confused. Quickly they ran off.

Ryan shortly skidded to a halt, looking up. Perhaps the top of the gates that surrounding Headmaster Ambrose's tower would do for a makeshift podium. So he jumped and quickly seized the black bars with a little grunt.

His fingers embraced the bars, unembraced, embraced again as he steadily climbed, cautious about where he left his feet. But once he finally pulled himself up to the top, he quickly surveyed the Commons and shortly noticed that numerous Ravenwood students were staring at him, wondering what the heck he was doing.

Ryan took a deep breath. Now or never, this was it.

"Wizards of Ravenwood!" Ryan called out, and by then he had gathered the leftover, formerly unnoticed attention. "I know that you probably may think that I'm a crazy person or something as of the moment, but soon, soon we'll all have to fight!"

Wondering murmurs flooded the Commons instantly.

"Out there, in Dragonspyre," Ryan pointed towards the tunnel leading to Ravenwood for exaggeration, "there is something that, in short, will end the Spiral and all life as we know it!" Ryan took a deep breath. "Vladimir Thorn. Who knows his name?"

Numerous hands raised in response.

"Well, that person, Vladimir, if he succeeds in his goal," Ryan straightened his back, "Spiral help us all. So that's why, we need you, you guys- to help us stop him and save our worlds! If we lose- than it will be the end of all of us, I guarantee you that."

A voice resolved to challenge him. "Why should we believe you? How do we know that this isn't some stupid act by a stupid diviner eager for attention?"

One by one, other wizards agreed with the other wizard, looking to be a necromancer. Figured. Ryan opened his mouth to say something, but suddenly hesitated, unsure. How was he supposed to convince a bunch of wizards that they would face life or death?

The words arrived to his mouth before his brain. "How would you like to know the answer to different questions and mysteries in Ravenwood?" Ryan inquired, once again earning the wizards' attention. "Is there something that you would like to know, but it seems as if you could never find the answer?"

All that followed was a stunned silence.

Ryan drew in another deep breath. "Well, if you come with us- I guarantee you that you'll be able to immediately find the answers to these mysteries. But for the moment, right now the Spiral is in immediate danger. The only way to stop this new force is to combine forces, school with school, and fight all together. Now," Ryan prayed that some would join them in response. "who's with me?"

At first, no one said anything. The silence continued for a minute, the only thing offering to be heard was the blowing breeze. Finally, just as Ryan was about to climb down the gates again and walk out of there with reddened cheeks, a sorcerer's hand slowly rose. "I believe you."

A wave of semi-relief crashed over the Descendant of Storm. Well, at least he got one volunteer out of this. "What's your name?" Ryan inquired.

The girl's eyes seemed to be tightly tied to the grass in embarrassment as multiple sets of eyes observed her. "Cheyenne Wildfriend," she admitted.

Ryan nodded towards Cheyenne. "Thank you," he said to her. Then he tore his gaze from Cheyenne and looked towards the rest of the crowd. "Is there anyone other than Cheyenne who would be willing to join us? You will be rewarded, I promise you."

Slowly and steadily, more hands came up. One by one they rose, finally accepting and deciding to submit themselves to this unknown diviner who claimed he'd be able to answer their questions if they fought in turn.

Ryan felt his heart raise and his shoulders slump in happiness as the hands rose. Then finally, over half of the wizards had raised their hands and volunteered. Then quickly the other half, submitting due to the heavy amount of volunteers, pressured to do so, did the same.

Soon Ryan had all but one wizard offer to help him, the final wizard being the necromancer who had challenged him. His dark eyes swept around, combating against the pressure. But when he eventually came to see that the efforts were somewhat useless, he finally sighed and almost involuntarily raised his hand.

The Descendant of Storm's eyes bulged. He had hoped for a few volunteers… but everyone in the Commons? That was more than he had bargained for.

The next few minutes was spent in learning names of the wizards. Now Ryan experienced the teachers' pain of having to learn a million names within a day or two.

Andrew Watertail, Myrna Hexriver, Dakota Sunshield- those were just a few of a million names that arrived to him and asked him to memorize them.

But luckily, everyone in the Order was relieved to find Alexis walking towards them with Noah hinging on her shoulder as they recruited.

Alexis smiled somewhat wearily after she poked Ryan, having earning a jolt of shock from him. "Guess who just returned from the Ordeal?" Alexis asked with a toothy grin.

Noah smiled wearily as he waved slightly. "I think I'll be fine," he dismissed.

Natalie smiled a smile that would belong on the face of a joyous giant. "Good to see you again!" Natalie cheered.

Once the Storm Siblings, the Balance Siblings, Alexis and Noah were finally done memorizing the names, Ryan looked towards the Ravenwood tunnel as he vaguely heard Cheyenne. "So what do we do?"

Ryan took a deep breath. "We go to Dragonspyre," he answered. He turned back to the crowd- the crowd of lives he was leading, the crowd he had under his command, the crowd that would now face what the Order had faced.

As Ryan led them, he felt sick to his stomach. What would happen if there was another repetition of Nicholas within the crowd? Was he just leading all those wizards, who all held potential, who held futures… was he leading them all to their deaths?

Ryan tried not to think about whether or not he would be the one responsible for many innocent lives taken.

* * *

><p>"Neela!" Jason sneered, and just like that, his Dragon Rider's Staff flew out and quickly pointed to Neela.<p>

Neela smiled evilly as the rest of the Order followed the pyromancer. "So close, weren't ya?" she inquired. "So close to crushing our years' worth of work, so close to forging the Blade of Seven- so close to succeeding." Neela spat out the last word, as if were a curse that needed to be disposed of immediately. "But get this- you are in no way creating that stupid sword without going through me!"

Cody snickered. "Like we're scared of you!"

Neela's head swerved to her former comrade. In her amber eyes was a flash of something… like grief, or sorrow. But whatever it was, Neela quickly dismissed it, as if deciding then and there that there would be no more sorrow in her life.

"Look at you, being buddy-buddy with the Order," Neela sneered to Cody. "You little, good-for-_nothing_, traitor!"

Destiny laughed nonhumorously. "Speak for yourself!"

Neela's rabid eyes whizzed towards Destiny. "So that's how you want to play it, eh?" she asked.

Immediately a black sword was pointed towards them as the Thorn insignia took formation in the air- out popped out a Death Meteor. But Neela wasn't the only one who was quick- Jessica was the first one to react. She also began tracing the Black Magic Symbol, creating a shield that was resistant to other Black Magic spells, it popping in front of her just in time and reducing the effect on her.

However desperate Neela was to hide her shock, she wasn't able to. Her eyes grew to twice it's size. "How did you-"

But quickly Neela figured out an answer for herself and looked accusingly towards Cody. "You! You told them!" Neela screamed.

Cody shook his head. "Believe it or not, I didn't."

Neela snarled in frustration of her and Vladimir's secret weapon being exposed. "Dirty little liar!" she accused as a wraith shot out towards Cody, embodying her anger.

Within seconds, all the Order was attacking Neela, Jessica constantly trying out her new Black Magic Spells with Death Leprechaun with an added Deathblade that actually seemed to work somewhat on the spell. Jason summoned a fire trap on Neela before adding a Fire Dragon to the mix. Quickly recovering from the wraith, Cody resolved on using Death spells and attacking with Skeletal Pirates and Wraiths, one time using a scarecrow. Chris focused on protecting himself and his partners from Neela, taking his time to add shields onto everyone before summoning a minotaur. Destiny used a combination of Death and Fire spells aimed at Neela, occasionally using a pixie in her deck to heal someone when they appeared to be drained of energy.

Despite the odds being five against one, Neela actually seemed to be doing pretty good in defending herself. She easily combated the Death Leprechaun with a Helephant, then turned around to stab the Fire Dragon before it seized the chance to spew fire out at her. Neela had a tiny bit of difficulty combating Cody's vigorous chain of spells with a sudden addition of Chris's minotaur, but Neela wasn't a Grandmaster for nothing. She thought fast and ducked behind the minotaur at the last second, forcing Cody's wraith to stab the minotaur. In outrage, the minotaur drove it's axe into the bony body before they both disappeared, and Neela was easily able to parry with the skeletal pirate for a few seconds before ducking and chopping off both its legs in a swift, fluid motion. As for Destiny's attacks, Neela easily killed all those.

However, despite the fighting, Chris remained as logical as always and nudged Destiny. "I can see what she's doing," he commented. "Neela's distracting us to prevent us from creating the Blade of Seven. So which is why us both need to go, right now."

"Why us?" Destiny hissed as an attempted phoenix fizzled.

"Because we were the only ones who could see the lines on the chalkboard!" Chris responded after aiming a Cerberus at Neela. "And, well- that's gotta count for something."

Destiny racked her brain quickly to make sure that they weren't missing anything. "What about Neela?" Destiny inquired.

Chris just chuckled in amusement at Destiny's comment, obviously not taking much worry. "Don't worry- she's already got Jessica, Jason and Cody to worry about us. They'll distract her while she's distracting them- if that makes any sense."

The corner's of Destiny's mouth suggested a tiny smile. "It doesn't," she admitted. But after casting another phoenix, making up for the failed spell, she turned back to Chris. "What about the Shards?"

"I have them all right here."

After thinking for a bit despite the chaos and the sound of spells, Destiny nodded. "I suppose that we have come here for a reason. Let's do it."

Chris nodded. "Let's just hope that this will go quickly. Last I checked, it can take a little while to forge a weapon."

"But this isn't an ordinary weapon," Destiny pointed out.

Chris shrugged. "True."

Both Destiny and Chris took deep breaths- then quickly sheathed their weapons as they suddenly turned around and ran as fast as their legs allowed to the other side of the room.

Neela wasn't dumb. She noticed Destiny and Chris running almost headfirst in the forging area. "Oh, no you _don't_!" Neela snarled.

Neela's comment urged Jason to turn his head around- he quickly spotted Destiny and Chris heading to forge the Blade of Seven. Jason longed to be with them both, but he knew that keeping Neela away was just as important as creating the legendary weapon. But to keep Neela away, Jason had to conclude to rather drastic measures.

Jason turned towards Neela, relaxing his Dragon Rider's Staff, aimed an open palm at Neela- and just like that, fire squired out of it, pointed at Neela.

But Neela merely chuckled in faint amusement as the fire just seemed to stop, right there, in midair, as if a large, invisible shield were protecting Neela. "Don't even try to use your pathetic auras," she reminded.

Jessica nodded, confirming Neela's comment. "It's true. At Thorn Manor, Esmee's Aura wouldn't work on her."

Neela smiled slyly. "Thank you, Jessica."

Jessica smiled aggressively, her eyebrows trying to reach each other. "My pleasure," she said sarcastically while deciding to use a Storm spell and pointed a Kraken at her opponent.

While Jessica, Cody and Jason fought against Neela, Destiny and Chris quickly arrived at the forging area.

"So, great, what do we do now?" Destiny asked, sweat beading on her forehead and sticking her robe to her body as a result from both the heat and the situation. Her heart leapt at astonishing rates, blood pumping harder than usual.

"Lay the pieces out," Chris suggested as he dumped all Seven Shards on the anvil and began to piece them together, trying to make them fit, like a puzzle. And soon, when he found edges that suggested the Life and Storm Shards fit together, he brought them closer together, and once they were close enough- the Shards sent sparks of energy floating up to the ceiling as Life and Storm zapped into one. Now the Life and Storm Shards were combined- a chunk with mixing purple and green energy swirling throughout it, lightning zapping in between and leaves gently swooning at the same time.

Destiny bit her lip as she brought the Myth and Ice Shards together- they fused together likewise Life and Storm. Destiny squinted her eyes and they slowly readjusted again as bright yellow and vivid blue mixed in together, snowflakes dancing in a field of yellow.

One by one, the Shards slowly mixed in together, until finally two big chunks were slowly brought together…

Destiny and Chris weren't the only ones witnessing this transaction. Neela's eyes broadened, and, in a split-second decision, broke a floating V and started running towards Destiny and Chris as the spell unlocked.

Jason gasped. "No!"

In the rush of the moment, already forgetting about Neela's defense against Auras, Jason once again held out his hand and squeezed a thick ray of thrashing fire out of it, directed at Neela. But quickly seizing a chance, Neela ran towards Destiny, then dodged at the last possible second to ensure that the fire Jason had produced would hit Destiny.

Jason's eyes grew. "Oh crap, oh no, no, no, no, no!"

As she heard the fire come towards her, ready to burn, Destiny swiveled, around, eyes bulging, then snapped her eyes shut, preparing for a heavy burn mark to arrive…

It never did.

Once Destiny trusted herself to open her eyes, the first thing she saw was the fire attempting to reach out to her- but it was prevented by an unseen force. It just floated there, a foot away from Destiny- as if an invisible force field were protecting her.

Surprise clogged Neela's eyes. For Destiny and Neela to have the same Aura…

"No," Neela breathed. "Vladimir… he was… right."

Then, amidst all that was going, Neela slowly thought. "Or… was he?"

While the setback was being dealt with, Chris was not one to waste time. While Destiny was staring in wonder of what took place before her eyes, Chris quickly brought the two pieces of the blade together-

Chris shut his eyes, and even then immediate light radiated his vision completely, in an explosion leading from the anvil. Finally he lifted open his eyes bit by bit to see it- the blade. It was holographic almost, different types of energy swooning in and out, dancing and thrashing. Color after color appeared after the next, representing all seven original schools.

Most of it was done. But it still wasn't finished.

Chris looked to Destiny. "What now?" he asked.

Destiny desperately racked through her brain for an answer. What did swordsmen do after making the red-hot blade…

Red-hot. It needed to be cooled down.

"Get it into the water!" Destiny shouted as she ran up to the water tub, not so eager to place her hands on the heated blade that didn't have a handle attached to it yet. Her mind in a rush, once Destiny had brought the tub close enough, she quickly used the edge of her robe to push the blade into the water.

Destiny and Chris watched almost mesmerized at the magical blade sinking in the water as Jason and the other two necromancers locked Neela into combat once more. The curved blade swayed as it sank, heat rapidly fleeing it and into the water. Part of the bright colors almost seemed to die down a bit.

Destiny held her breath, barely breathing. Then, once she felt it was safe, she slowly leaned forward and picked up the blade, carefully cradling it in her hands. Gently she dropped it on the anvil. Her next concern was the hilt for it.

Luckily, that question didn't need to wait long to be answered. Chris had quickly grabbed a hilt while she had received the blade again. Quickly Chris grabbed a thick hammer after setting the hilt next to the blade. Then Destiny could only watch as Chris hammered the hilt onto the blade.

The hammer's pounds were loud enough to grab Neela's attention. "No!" she cried out… but it was too late.

Quickly Chris was done with mixing the hilt and the blade together. Once he was done finally, he picked up the newly-fashioned sword and with that, the battle stopped. It's as if the world had stopped moving.

No one spoke, not even Neela. No one dared to. All of them just stared at the most powerful weapon in the history of the Spiral.

Chris watched the colors repeat on the sword he had created. "The Blade of Seven," he finally breathed.

The weapon of the Legendaries had been reborn.

Jason laughed. "Woo! We did it! Chris and Destiny are the next wielders of the Blade of Seven!"

Jessica set her mouth into a pout. "No fair," she grumbled, and Cody nodded in agreement.

Suddenly a voice sliced his way through their triumph. "What'd I miss?"

Destiny spun around to see Vladimir joining Neela, in his usual Valkyrie armor, but this time, instead of a sword, Vladimir supported a black staff.

"Too late Vladimir," Chris smiled. "We won. It's too late!"

Vladimir just shook his head, tsk-tsking. "I know that you guys are somewhat stupid, but certainly not this stupid."

Destiny paled. "What do you-"

"Mean?" Vladimir finished as Neela began to smile along with her. "What I mean is- by creating the Blade of Seven, all you've done is help us."

Vladimir didn't let the Order speak as he pointed the staff towards the Blade of Seven- Destiny also noticed that Cody seemed to be really trying to kill Vladimir with a glare. Vladimir closed his eyes, and then, as if on cue, magical energy started to swirl around the staff, a black light radiating from it.

The black light then grew to be almost so powerful, almost as powerful as the explosion of light that had taken place after the Blade of Seven was forged. But as quickly as the light erupted, it flickered down, slowly returning to its source until there was nothing left of it… and the source had changed.

Instead of a staff, Vladimir now held in his hands a sword. This sword was unlike the Blade of Seven in a lot of ways- the Blade of Seven's blade was curved like a scimitar while Vladimir's blade seemed to originate from not metal, but obsidian, thus giving it a sturdy, sleek, black pointed blade. Following the blade was the handle, which was painted a blood red with small onyxs decorating it, making a small border around an intricately painted V with thorns spreading throughout. Crystalline spikes flew out of the handle, bordering the first part of the blade.

Destiny gulped. She did not like the looks of that sword.

But Vladimir and Neela obviously did- their faces looked as if they had won a major contest promising a cruise around the Spiral. "The War Sword," Vladimir confirmed.

Cody smacked his palm against his forehead. "I told you guys!"

Vladimir ignored Cody as Neela spoke up. "Thanks to you guys for forging the Blade of Seven, you've also helped us create the War Sword, the final ingredient," Neela explained. "Thanks! Now- best we'd be on our way. You've completed your goal- now we complete ours."

As Vladimir and Neela turned around and headed out of Myth's Forge, Destiny's teeth attempted to grind into one another as she brought out her wand again. "Oh no you don't!" she muttered to herself as Vladimir and Neela slipped out.

"Destiny," Jason warned as she started to lose control of a temper she had hidden from them. "No Destiny, not-"

Destiny wasn't listening. Thinking fast, she yanked the Blade of Seven from Chris's hands, throwing her other wand on the floor and quickly started to head out after the duo.

"Destiny!" Chris attempted to give chase after her, but it was too late. Very soon Destiny was gone- and the Blade of Seven with her.

"Stop!" Destiny cried out as she exited the Myth School after Vladimir and Neela, thinking fast. Quickly she etched a death symbol in the air while she was running to give them a little death ball that usually came with wands and such.

Finally Vladimir and Neela took notice. Neela turned sharply on her heels and pointed her wand at Destiny while Vladimir kept running with the sword. "Don't worry, I'll catch up with you later!" Neela called out.

Vladimir looked back for a brief moment and nodded.

Neela was in the process of tracing a Black Magic symbol in the air before Destiny flung part of the Blade of Seven into the floating insignia, quickly dispelling it. Neela stood in shock while Destiny persisted running and kept flinging spells at Vladimir.

Soon Vladimir saw that Destiny was actually keeping up with him and quickly gaining on him. Vladimir used the War Sword to aim other quick, weak spells at Destiny as sweat took formation on his head. He couldn't lose… not now… not after all he'd and Neela had been through…

After a few minutes, relief overcame Vladimir as he arrived to a small building not so far off from Dragonspyre Academy. This was it, what it all came down to.

Vladimir pointed the war sword at the face of the house, and, as expected, a shape started to form on the face of the house he was standing towards- a burning black one with the Thorn Crest eventually showing up in the middle. Eventually, as if molten lava were seeping through the black lines, red overcame the purple stone and became solid, becoming a door. Immediately after it was created and the lines stopped glowing, the door swung open to reveal a steep tunnel leading downwards underground.

Vladimir smiled as he rapidly ran down the tunnel. Just as expected- things were working out perfectly. He would not have a meddlesome Seagem suddenly butt into it at the last moment!

Destiny had witnessed the transformation, a bit taken aback by it. What- what was that? Where did it lead to? What did Vladimir intend to do back there?

Only one way to find out.

Destiny couldn't see Vladimir as she ran down due to the darkness, but she knew from the sound of gravel shifting ahead of her that she wasn't very far behind now.

Destiny quickly drew a Fire symbol in the air to light up her wand before proceeding, running as fast as she could go to make up for lost time.

But it wasn't very long before she had arrived at the destination- and so had Vladimir. It was a small, dimly lit room- two flickering torches with the Thorn Crest flickering inside hung at the right and left. It reminded her of a dome, and the wall and moist floor were composed of black dirt. The only thing in the room other than her and Vladimir creeped Destiny out. It appeared to be a large box made of obsidian, with the Thorn Crest engraved on it.

Something snapped in Destiny's mind. That's no box, she suddenly realized. That's a coffin.

Vladimir gasped after had placed three objects on the ground- the War Sword, an overlarge onyx that Cody had given him while she had been spying on Vladimir, and a helmet reminding Destiny a lot of a boy's Guardian's Helm- one that was draped in black and had red intricate curves placed around it, as if someone had strung a thin red string around it and it curved at random places. Destiny was guessing based on her knowledge that that was the Helm of Power.

"_How_ did you get inside?!" Vladimir almost shrieked. "Only a true-"

Slowly with that statement Vladimir thought, and he nodded slowly with the idea he had produced. Destiny did not like what was coming next.

"What do you mean how did I get inside?" Destiny smirked. "There was a door, wide open for me to go through!"

"Yes, and that door just happens to be placed with a heavy amount of Black Magic that will let no one in," Vladimir persisted. "That is, no one that doesn't share my lineage."

Destiny froze, slowly remembering Vladimir's words back at Thorn Manor that one day.

_"I don't know," Vladimir finally said. "One member of that group is quite resourceful."_

_"Who?" Destiny questioned._

_"Destiny," Vladimir said, and for a minute Destiny was afraid that Vladimir had suddenly caught her. She relaxed when she heard him say, "Destiny's the one. She is very formidable. She won't give up easily, and holds her ground. She is very aggressive, clever, brave, she fights valiently for her cause, and competitive. Qualities I admire. Qualities __of a true Thorn."_

_Vladimir's last remark scared her. Destiny laughed, trying to intimidate Neela. "She is but an initiate, a journeyman, maybe." She said, putting in that she was an initiate to support evidence she was Neela. _

_"Maybe of low rank," Vladimir admitted. "But I can sense she is getting stronger by the second, not just in rank, but in spirit." He turned to Destiny. "And what's odd," He continued. "Is that I feel a sort of-connection- to her."_

_"Connection?" Destiny questioned. Things were getting interesting._

_"__A connection," Vladimir confirmed. "And not just and rivalry and all that war stuff. I feel in my mind, I feel a connection flowing through my veins. Like, it's as if we were connected by blood. I highly doubt it's that way, but I just have this unusual feeling nagging through me about her. Something about her, I just can't quite put my finger on it..."_

Suddenly Destiny knew what Vladimir meant.

_No… oh no… oh please, Spiral help me no…_

"Since you're here, I may as well reveal a thing or two," Vladimir began. "First of all- allow me to introduce where you're at. Here," Vladimir gestured to the coffin, "just so happens to be the resting place of Valkoor Thorn, the Ninth Legendary, Founder of Black Magic- my ancestor."

"…What?" Destiny gawped. She remembered what Cody had told her and the rest of the Order of the Spiral when he had joined them, about Vladimir having intentions to revive someone.

Something seemed to click not only in Destiny's brain, but her body. She found her legs rushing to Vladimir and quickly tackling him.

"No!" she screamed in his face. "You are _not_ bringing Valkoor Thorn back to life! Over my dead body!" Destiny added with a snarl.

Vladimir just chuckled. "Quite really, I don't know why you're so upset about it," he mused, remaining calm while Destiny had him pinned to the ground. "Because he's not just my ancestor- he's also yours. Your ability to _be_ here proved that."

The shock seemed to radiate from her knees, working her way up throughout her body. It etched its way up slowly, enough for Destiny to immediately let go of Vladimir, unwilling to even look at him.

"...Why'd you want to revive Valkoor Thorn?" Destiny finally asked.

Vladimir seemed glad to have an opportunity to explain his actions. "I had a little sister, Llewella. We were very close, you know. But one day... she was gone. Just like that. I thought she was dead, so I needed a way to bring her back. Then when I found out about my ancestry, I knew that I had to do it- Valkoor had the power to bring her back. That, and the Spiral just plain needed a leader. Llewella's disappearance proved that it was corrupted-"

Destiny's eyes flashed angrily as she whirled around to meet him. "The Spiral is not corrupted!" she yelled. "It'll be corrupted if you bring him back! What makes you think that Valkoor Thorn will serve as a leader?"

Before Vladimir could say anything, Destiny charged at him. Immediately Vladimir drew out his original black sword, knowing that he couldn't disturb the War Sword as it was a component.

Destiny had the intentions to draw out a usual spell, but she found herself using the sword itself for attacks. It met with the flat of Vladimir's blade, and quickly Vladimir broke out of the lock and lunged. Destiny ducked and swept in a half-circle with her sword, aiming for Vladimir's legs.

While Destiny and Vladimir began sparring, Neela arrived to the scene.

Neela knew there and then that Destiny was actually doing a fairly good job of keeping Vladimir distracted. So Vladimir wouldn't be able to complete the ritual...

But Neela would.

Neela immediately ran to the components strategically laid out in its proper places by Vladimir in front of Valkoor Thorn's resting place. Taking a deep breath, she searched her brain for the spell.

Meanwhile, Destiny aimed for Vladimir's shoulders, distracting him for a moment. Then, thinking fast, she kneed Vladimir in his 'special place'. The breath flatly knocked out of him, his hands flew to that place and grunted.

Now Destiny had him-

Suddenly a searing pain broke through Destiny's head. It was a migraine, but seemed to be tripled by a million or something. It was really as if something were attempting to smash out of Destiny's brain with a hammer.

Destiny clutched her head desperately, as if that alone would stop the pain. The world suddenly seemed to be rotating randomly, as if it were a rocking boat. Destiny soon felt as if she were trying to see the world on a very foggy day.

Soon Destiny could barely even think. What... what was this?

Before Destiny could clear her mind enough to figure it out slowly, her eyelids fluttered, finally resting on closing. Then she swooned slowly, Vladimir slowly rising as he saw this transaction, and before she knew it Destiny fell down to the dirt floor.

Neela smirked in relief as she witnissed Destiny fall to the Ordeal. Good...

Well, now there was no hope for that stupid Order of the Spiral. This was their moment!

Neela drew in a deep breath and closed her eyes. What she had to say next was a little embarrassing she had to admit, but luckily no one was watching her but Vladimir, and he knew what she was doing.

"Power of Helm, Darkness of Onyx, Sword of War," Neela began. "Unite to bring Valkoor Thorn, the Ninth Legendary, back unto us!"

With the last three words, Neela swiftly brought her right arm up, as if she were trying to touch the sky. Then, immediately she felt a pain in her chest- as if a part of her was trying to tear itself apart from the rest of her body.

Neela let a scream flow out of her lips. Wha... what was happening? Sure, she had never gone through the Ordeal, but she had experienced enoug to know that this wasn't the Ordeal. Her hand flew to her hip, as if she had received a stab right there- it certainly felt like that.

Then, all at once, the pain ceased. But once it did, Neela felt... weaker. Her energy seemed to be reduced, and her capabilities felt as if they had actually reduced. It was all she could do to stand up.

"Neela! Y...you okay?" Vladimir jetted to her side.

Neela soon heard a thump on the ground, and slowly realized that that was her body. Her vision faded in and out, her eyes putting in their all to stay open, and Neela began to sank into unknown depths as Vladimir cried, "Neela!"

Her name echoed in her head repeatedly as the last light was eclipsed.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: . . . I love that chapter. A lot. :D**


	27. Part 11 TBotE P1 Ancestry Part 3

_The Necromancer's Matter, Part 11; The Beginning of the End, Part 1; Ancestry (Part 3)_

When Destiny woke up next, both to her relief and unsettlement, she was in a different place.

Destiny slowly stood up, looking around the dome, hollow room as she did so. The room was quite large, and it had a shimmering floor and deep yet light blue walls. Destiny observed that it was a dome area as she turned around in a three-sixty angle. She also saw nine different doors spread evenly out against the wall, all with a school symbol- even with the Time Symbol and Thorn Crest.

Destiny's eyebrows tried to connect to each other in confusion. Where was she? How'd she get-

Suddenly Destiny knew where she was. She was so stupid!

The Ordeal.

Icy fear blossomed slowly, inching its way throughout her body. The Ordeal… The Ordeal… as if she weren't about to die already! At least she wasn't the Pure Descendant… but she just _had_ to die anyways.

Luckily, Destiny was able to forget about the Ordeal momentarily when her frantic eyes came across an unusual red and black shape, spread out across the floor.  
>Reluctantly, Destiny snuck up to the form to get a better view of it… or her. The girl seemed to be awakening- she was dressed in red fire robes with a nirini staff, so she looked to be an adept pyromancer. Her ponytailed black hair that resembled Destiny's somewhat was matted, and once she lifted her head, her eyes were unmistakable.<p>

Destiny attempted to seize a wand once she saw her, but found that she appeared to be unarmed. "Nee…" as she began the name she saw her eyes widen with a new fright that she had never seen in her, "…la?"

Slowly Neela's fright transformed into happiness. "Oh my gosh… Destiny!" she cried out in relief. "You're here with me!" she finished as she picked herself up.

Destiny didn't exactly shared Neela's confusing happiness. "Yup. And now, you can kill me! If the Ordeal doesn't already!"

Neela looked confused. "I can… kill you?" she repeated questioningly. "Wha…"

"In case you didn't know," Destiny spat, "you betrayed me in Grizzlehiem, revealing to be a close friend of Vladimir Thorn's. You two had an ultimate goal to revive Valkoor Thorn, and now I don't know whether you've completed that!"

Neela didn't say anything- she just looked at Destiny with genuine confusion. "Wh… where are you making this stuff up?" Neela asked uneasily. "I'm your friend! Remember?"

"Yeah. 'Till you broke that friendship."

"I didn't break that friendship!" Neela persisted. Then she sighed in defeat. "Look- all I really remember is that recently… it's really as if I'm jumping from one scene to the next. First I'm being bullied by Oran, Ally and Galen, some necromancer kid standing up for me, then that suddenly blacks out. Next I find myself in Krokotopia suddenly, as if I had teleported, but the thing is, I didn't teleport! I meet you, and you really do seem like a good friend! I really begun to admire you, helping you find your cousin in Grizzlehiem. Then suddenly I black out once we arrive, and the next thing I know, I'm right here, right now, and you're accusing me of helping someone you told me you were fighting! Is this… is this some kind of a stupid joke? This really seems like something Oran and his friends would pull on me!"

Destiny was unmoved. "Yeah, right," she replied finally.

Neela sighed. "I can't believe this," she muttered. "This always happens. Whenever I wake up everyone accuses me of doing bad things."

I wonder why, Destiny thought darkly.

"Well… where are we, though?" Neela asked.

Destiny spun around. "The Ordeal," she replied simply.

This took a moment to register in Neela's brain, but once it did, her eyes grew in fright and she began to shake uncontrollably.

"No," she muttered. "No, no, no, no, no!" Each desperate attempt to swat logic from her head grew louder and louder. "I can't believe this! I… I hate my lineage! I realized what it was long ago- I hate it, I hate it I hate it!"

"You hate your lineage, huh?" Destiny interrogated. "Well, why'd you put it to such use? And you love the idea of reviving Valkoor Thorn."

"Valkoor Tho- _WHAT?_" Neela's voice grew shrill. "No! I hate him also! To think, he actually is part of being Pure Descendant lineage-"

Destiny halted her breathing at Neela's growing sentence. "What?!" she interrupted sharply, trying to keep her voice under control.

Neela took a deep breath. "I know you might think this is silly, Destiny- but I think I'm a Pure Descendant," Neela explained. "Strange things have happened to me… I could cast Master spells before my school, Fire, as you know- was even revealed. I wake up and reawake at certain times, each one renewed, as if I had slept a bunch- one time when this one Death dude stood up for me in Ravenwood when Oran, Ally and Galen were bullying me. And speaking of that time- just before I came into my sleep, this… luster came over me. I had wanted to be in Death, you see, and when I didn't get it, I was very disappointed- I had a huge desire to change my school. But right there- it's as if a Death-like part of me had overcome me, and in that process I experienced agony, as if something were…. I dunno… coming together, really. That's the only way to explain it. And I had another similar pain right now, just before I woke up- it's as if something had torn away from me. And when I woke up, I feel somewhat younger. And I also feel like energy reserve has been reduced- I really don't know, this is all so, so strange. But I know that all if it has to do with I'm a Pure Descendant- I'm not stupid, I traced down my lineage a year ago in a research project as far back as I could go. Along the way, I saw the founder of each school's name."

The whole time Neela was explaining, she had made unyielding eye contact with Destiny- her breathing and body was steady as she was speaking, and it sounded way too complicated to make things up…

So somehow, Neela was telling the truth. She was convinced she had done nothing wrong, knew she was a Pure Descendant, and even thought her primary school was Fire. But at the same time, Destiny knew her side of the story was also true. What was going on?

Destiny didn't know what to say in response to Neela's truthful story. "Well…" she was searching for something to say before remembering something Neela had said, "what were you saying, that Valkoor Thorn was a part of being Pure Descendant lineage?"

"Oh, I thought you knew that one," Neela shrugged. "As a Pure Descendant, you have the blood of all Legendaries, right? _All_ the Legendaries. This includes Time and Valkoor Thorn."

"So, would a Pure Descendant be able to do something that only a Descendant of Valkoor Thorn would?" Destiny continued uneasily.

"He or she would have his blood running through him or her- so yeah, having the blood of that Legendary is all that it takes," Neela explained simply. "Why?"

Destiny didn't answer. Vladimir had said you needed the blood of Valkoor Thorn in order to enter his resting place… so a Pure Descendant would also be able to enable that…

Her blood ran cold. If she was a Pure Descendant, which the chances were suddenly highly likely… than yes, that proved it. Sooner or later, she would die.

At least it's not Vladimir's and probably Neela's lineage, Destiny thought to herself in relief. Having that lineage would be shameful… and at least in the Prophecy, it does say that I'd die in the place of others, right? I guess if I did die, that probably would be the best route to take…

Both Destiny and Neela were caught off-guard by something shining in the distance- one of the doors. Just like Destiny had with the chalkboard in the Myth School, almost, a thick white light bordered one of the roundish doors, glowing brightly- blindingly bright. Through that light, Destiny was somehow able to catch that it was rounding around a Storm Symbol.

And just like that, as if invisible people were there- the light faded and the door swung open, unmasking a darkness that followed it.

Destiny gulped. She knew what this meant. "Well, you ready for this?" she asked Neela.

Neela nodded, gripping her staff tightly. "Let's go."

Destiny and Neela both walked reluctantly up to the door possessing the Storm Symbol, and entered. When they did, they wished they hadn't.

The first thing they were greeted by was a flood of blue-violet water crashing over them and sinking both of them under. Rumbling thunder and crashing lightning could just barely be heard through the water swimming in their ears and clouding their hearing somewhat.

Destiny's eyes widened at the sudden impact and her sudden inability to breathe, and began flailing her arms about wildly in the water in a desperate attempt to resurface. But it almost seemed as if the harder Destiny tried, the higher the water was getting. It was piling, higher and higher. Destiny closed her eyes tightly to make sure the saltwater didn't seep inside.

Her lungs were screaming for air, and Destiny had to satisfy that scream. Her neck was stiffening in fear, things seemed hopeless, just in the first minute…

Destiny's eyes snapped open, letting more water sting her vision as she felt her wrist pulled roughly, and she could see the surface of the water nearing and nearing at any moment…

It seemed as if her lungs had been underwater for one second longer she would have collapsed. Destiny's head immediately felt a hard breeze slap her face and she gasped raggedly, choking and spitting out water in the process.

Destiny turned her head around at her savior- Neela.

Her enemy had just saved her life…

A sharp whip crack of lightning broke Destiny's growing admirance of Neela. Her head whirled over to the sky- which was a huge mold of purple and gray. Numerous thick lightning bolts snapped every second- there seemed to be so many of them. The thunder was clapping so loud, it was literally almost deafening.

Destiny soon realized in the horrid weather that she had forgotten to thank Neela. She looked around to her, face white and teeth chattering from the icy coldness of the water.

"Th-thanks," she acknowledged Neela.

Neela smiled lightly. "Anyti-"

Neela was quickly cut off, replacing it with a yell. "Look out!" She screamed, pointing to the right.

Destiny looked in the direction Neela was pointing to, and gulped just at the sight of it- a wave. A massive wave- it seemed to be twice as tall as all the Ravenwood Buildings put together.

"Oh, come o-"

Destiny was cut off when she saw the tidal wave nearing closer and closer to her and Neela. Desperate suddenly, she yanked Neela's arm and abruptly turned around and pulled her hands and water closer, swimming with every bit of energy she had in an attempt to out-swim the wave.

But it was too late. The wave seemed to give a furious yell of war as it bellyflopped onto them, encasing them both deep in water once again.

Luckily, both Destiny and Neela had prepared for this. Just before they had been sank down under again, they had both gulped large, deep breaths of air, cheeks sticking out like inflated balloons.

Destiny looked around her wet surroundings and immediately began looking around for Neela. It was a darker blue than before, and she was just barely able to make out Neela's outline.

Destiny dared to swallow a bit of her air as she raced towards Neela. Destiny quickly shook Neela as hard as she could, and in turn and much to Destiny's relief, Neela's eyes shot open. But it wasn't to Destiny's shaking- Neela proved that when a stream of bubbles released from her mouth and a unusual noise filled her ears- Neela was screaming.

It was as if Neela's scream had triggered her hearing- now Destiny could hear an unusual sound- the snapping of jaws underwater and veracious swimming towards them.

Gulping some of her air down, Destiny's heart skipped a beat when she saw little fish swimming towards them. They were all silver-scaled, the light bouncing off of them, mirroring the waves. Sharp teeth bordered their bottom lips and they swam rabidly towards the duo.

Piranhas. Lots of them.

Destiny froze, praying that they would turn back or some miracle would happen at the last second. Instead of a miracle, Neela took things into her own accord.

Neela had managed to keep her staff throughout the waves. She attempted casting a spell with it, but to no avail. So, in an act of desperation, she spun her staff at the piranhas- amazingly, it actually worked.

Both Destiny and Neela madly swam towards the surface, running away from being eaten alive as the piranhas ate away Neela's staff. The surface broke towards them once again just as Destiny had taken her last gulp of air.

Neela looked underwater, and her face looked as if she were witnessing a friend being tortured. "My staff…" she croaked as water came dripping out of her lip.

Destiny shook her head. "That could have just saved us," she attempted to comfort throughout the roars.

As lightning broke yet again, the flashing light brought a shape to their attention- a square attached to a line, attached to…

A raft.

Destiny cried out in joy, pointing towards the raft built of logs and a sheet pelted with various holes- but she didn't care what condition it was in.

"Look!" Destiny shouted. She could see Neela's face lighting up in coronation as she laid eyes on what Destiny was pointing towards.

They swam to the raft as if their lives depended on it- which it did, technically speaking. But just as they began nearing it, the piranhas had finished off the staff and were now racing towards them, hungry for meat.

"Swim!" Neela screamed as they swam as fast as they could, their hearts attempting to break out of their chests in the mad rush of adrenaline.

Destiny released a deep breath as she grasped a hold of the soaked log raft, and quickly bent forward to help Neela up, just in time to save her from a swarm of piranhas.

The piranhas still didn't give up. They ate away madly at the bottom of the raft, Destiny and Neela exchanging each other worried looks- perhaps they hadn't made it towards a sanctuary after all.

Suddenly, everything froze. The piranhas stopped eating the bottom of the raft, the thunder stopped rumbling like a stomach that hadn't eaten in a month and the lightning stopped flashing. It was as if time had stopped.

After a few confusing moments, Neela's and Destiny's surroundings dissolved, like blue sand falling from a forefinger and thumb. Quickly they found there selves back in the room they had started- but now the door they had walked through, the one with the Storm Symbol, was disappearing, fading into the wall until it blended in with it completely.

Destiny laughed in relief. "Oh my gosh- we survived!" she cried in joy.

Neela smiled. "Yup, we did it!"

But just then, the same white light bordered another door- the one with an Ice Symbol on it. It gleamed in radiance, then faded, swiveling open by itself.

Destiny sighed. "Here we go again."

Destiny half rolled her eyes as she stepped through the door with Neela's hand gripped tightly by her own.

This time they were not greeted by a massive tidal wave, but rather a freezing cold. And the fact that Destiny and Neela were still wet from the storm didn't help at all.

Destiny observed her surroundings as the door dissolved behind them. They were stranded in the middle of a freezing arctic. They could barely see a few feet in front of them due to heavy, ice-colored snow and had to be careful to watch their step on the ice.

Destiny's teeth rattled together, and her hands flew to rub the upper part of her arms. "S-so c-c-cold…"

Neela hastily nodded. "I might be advanced enough to make a small fire without my wand."

Suddenly anxious, Neela hunched over some and rubbed her hands swiftly and as hard as she could. She mustered hot breath inside of her to help provide to this, and at last a small fireball grew in her shoulder.

The triumph did not last long. Almost immediately the huge blizzard swept the flickering fire out.

Destiny sighed in defeat. "Com'on," she urged Neela. "We gotta find some kind of shelter- freezing cold!"

For the next half hour or so Destiny and Neela trodded through almost knee-deep snow that seemed to be rendering them useless, and it certainly didn't help that thick snow clogged their vision.

Finally Destiny's lip trembled when she found that her lower lip was smothered in ice, and when she looked to Neela she saw some of her hair breaking off.

Destiny smudged her eyes shut as her knees gave in and she fell to the grass. She lay there, shivering to death, as footsteps scampered over to her…

She didn't know anything else.

* * *

><p>Destiny hadn't known how long she had been out- long enough, it seemed.<p>

A moan escaped as her head lolled over on… what was supposed to be snow.

Slowly Destiny opened her eyes and adjusted to new surroundings. Her arms helped prop her body up as she looked around curiously. Neela was standing up, desperately attempting to enlarge a small fire inside an ice hut.

Neela sighed in relief. "Good, you're awake- let me tell you, you have no idea how much it was painful creating this hut and digging out all the snow with hands."

A stab of guilt flew to her. Destiny had been out while Neela had done all this stuff, alone…

Destiny should be grateful to Neela. She saved her life- again.

Destiny crossed stiff fingers. "I just hope it'll be over soon-"

Then, almost as if the Legendaries had heard her wishes, the ground and ice around her dissolved and revealed the Ordeal chamber back again, this time with seven doors.

Destiny punched the air. That had been cold- she was just glad to get out of that. Her legs were still stiff…

Then she saw the white ring around the next door- the one with the fire symbol.

Both Destiny and Neela were almost grateful for it- at least they'd be warmed up.

Destiny really didn't want to cross over to the door that held the Fire Symbol, seeing as the last two doors she had gone through she had almost died and was now in severe debt to Neela. But it was the only way to pass through the Ordeal, so she found Neela and herself in the middle of a blazing wildfire when they heard the door snap shut.

Destiny was actually glad for the wildfire while Neela panicked. In the Storm Trial she had become soaking wet, and the Ice Trial hadn't helped when it pretty much froze her clothes to herself. So in honesty, Destiny was welcoming the Fire as bit by bit the water and cold seeped away…

"Look out!"

Destiny's eyes snapped open when she saw an incoming spell flying towards her- a ball of Death Magic.

Neela yanked Destiny by the hand and began to lead her through a maze of fire as the sounds of many spells being directed at them clicked in Destiny's brain.

"Great, just what we need!" Neela moaned while running. "We get enemies trying to kill us while we're trapped in a wildfire!"

"Well… at least the piranhas are gone," Destiny pointed out semi-hopefully.

Neela rolled her eyes in annoyance despite the situation.

Another spell broke through the barrier of fire and aimed itself at Destiny, who ducked and narrowly missed the spell. Suddenly Destiny stopped, gaining an idea quickly. She remembered what Jason had said about when dealing with fires…

Destiny breathed in deeply, inhaling smoke in the process. Then she opened her eyes suddenly and pulled some of the fire back to allow a brief entryway and launch herself at one of the enemies.

The enemies were like alive dummies. They were all hooded, clothed in black robes with wands. Destiny had a sneaking suspicion that if she pulled down one of the hoods, there'd be no face.

Destiny charged up to them as fast as she could, and she saw them preparing for battle. But somehow, she still caught them aback when she pounced onto one of them and snatched his wand. Destiny then snarled and snatched another wand for good measure and aiming a skeletal pirate for good measure.

Destiny ran back to Neela. "Here ya go," she breathed heavily as she passed her one of the wands.

Neela looked at the wand in amazement before beginning to trace a Fire Symbol. "You hold them off, I'll dispatch the fire!" she suggested.

Destiny nodded. "Right!"

Destiny cleared some of the fire so that she could see above her waist, keeping some of it to serve as a kind of defense. Destiny began etching the Death Symbol in the air, a clash ringing in the air as a vampire was brought to life. Quickly Destiny added a sunbird to the mix.

She turned her head quickly to see how Neela was doing- she was using the same strategy that Jason had taught her- to gather the fire then put them out. Destiny wafted away some smoke with her hand.

So suddenly, the fire and the enemies dissolved, putting them back into the same, blue room. The door with the Fire Symbol began to dissolve and once it did, a white light bordered around a door with the Death Symbol.

The Death Trial. Destiny had a feeling that this wouldn't be merciful at all.

When Destiny walked through the door with the Death Symbol engraved, she was relieved that, for once, she wasn't greeted by anything. There was also that uneasiness- anyone would begin to be uneasy when you've stepped into a dark black void.

Destiny's head swiveled around curiously as Neela joined her. "Wh… where are we?"

Neela shrugged. "The Death Trial. Other than that, no clue. Remember- I know about as much as you do when it comes to this stuff."

But Destiny was only half-focusing on Neela's words- now she could see something in the distance… something long…

Apparently Neela noticed it too. "What's that?" Neela inquired.

Destiny shrug. "Com'on- let's find out."

Almost reluctantly Neela and Destiny crossed over to it. Then suddenly Destiny skidded to a halt in horror.

It was Hunter, floating in the air and chest a bloody mess. His skin was pale and his eyes were wide, mouth open in shock, as if he was petrified.

But he wasn't. He was dead.

Destiny looked to Neela, who also looked taken aback. "No… Isabella!"

"Isabella?" Destiny questioned.

"Yes! She's a thautamerge, and my best friend," Neela said solemnly. "She looks awful… is Isabella… dead?"

Destiny knitted her eyebrows. She was seeing her brother, Neela was seeing her friend-

Soon more forms seemed to come together in the blackness. Destiny squinted, then gasped.

Esmee, dead.

Destiny looked around, and soon the room was bordered with bodies of those who were close to her. She could see the rest of her siblings… Sophia… Jessica… all dead…

Neela had a hard time with this. "No! No, no! They're all dead…"

There was a faint hissing noise then, and Neela froze. Destiny couldn't hear it, but Neela acted as if it was really important.

"NO!" she suddenly screamed. "I do care about them! I do!"

More hissing, and Neela began to shiver uncontrollably.

"I don't know how they're dead!" Neela protested, as if trying to convince herself. "I don't-"

Tears began to pour out of Neela's eyes rapidly, and she really had to steady herself by taking multiple deep breaths.

"Lies! Lies! Stop!" Neela screamed.

Destiny rested a hand on Neela's shoulder. "Neela- you do realize-"

Neela's head spun around abruptly. "Shut up!" she screamed at Destiny. "Just- DON'T TALK TO ME!"

Destiny instinctively took a step back as Neela proceeded her wailing. "Neela! These are just illusions! Meant to torture us!"

Neela just screamed- one of pure anguish and grief- something that couldn't be fake, no matter how hard Destiny tried to convince herself.

After a cry of anguish, Destiny could see what was going on. Neela was being tortured insane- insane enough that she would try to kill herself and join people who weren't dead to begin with.

Destiny kneeled down and rubbed a hand on Neela's shoulder, unsure of what to say. But if she didn't say anything, Neela's insanity would literally kill her.

Destiny took a deep breath. "Neela-" Neela stopped wailing for one brief second to hear what she had to say, but when Destiny didn't say anything, Neela continued sobbing.

"Look- I know this is hard," Destiny began. "It certainly is for me. But you have to realize- their deaths aren't your fault. You had no part in this- you do care about them. And they wouldn't want this for you. I know this is hard, but you have to move on. You have to keep moving. You can certainly look back on it- but there's no going back."

Neela continued crying, but Destiny noted that it was gradually coming to a stop, little by little. Bit by bit, Neela seemed to be regaining her sanity.

Neela looked over to Destiny for help, and Destiny really felt sorry for her, as if she really had lost everyone she cared about.

"Y-you're right," Neela finally whispered.

Destiny smiled lightly, standing up. She offered a hand to Neela, who stared at it for a bit, then slowly picked herself up and took it.

"I'm sorry," Neela apologized. "I didn't- it's just that… thanks."

With that, the blackness around them slowly faded into white, and the bodies were all gone. Desitny looked around them avidly- soon they were back in the Ordeal Chamber, Neela still shaking and realizing that this time, it was Destiny who saved her life.

As usual, Destiny watched as the Death door rippled into the wall, until it was no longer there. After that, the door with a Myth Symbol imprinted on it blazed menacingly.

Neela and Destiny were very much surprised when they found they didn't immediately arrive onto a threatening scene.

Their shoes sunk into sand, and all around them were tree trunks and a nice, ripe sky overhead and a luscious ocean. Another thing that stood out were two mahogany podiums.

Suddenly a voice boomed overhead, and immediately when it started ringing Destiny and Neela avidly tried to find the source.

"Ladies and Gentlemen! Welcome, to the Spiral Game Show! The two contestants, Destiny Seagem and Neela Waterpetal, will face off and answer three questions. If either of them get it wrong… they die!"

The duo gave each other anxious glances.

"Now… let's begin!"

Only a minute later were Destiny and Neela standing behind the podiums.

"The first question is…" the announcer coming from nowhere blared, "when was the Ravenwood School of Magical Arts created?"

Neela rolled her eyes. "Pssh, easy!" Neela commented. "0 A.-"

A surge of panic engulfed Destiny and, before Neela could continue, Destiny practically pounced on her and clamped her hand over her mouth.

"That's not it!" Destiny hissed. "0 A.C. was when the Legendaries were born! They were too young to create Ravenwood back than!"

When Destiny took her hand off Neela, Neela sighed. "Well, do you have a better one?" she questioned. "Besides- it doesn't matter their age. They were powerful anyways. And doesn't A.C. stand for After Creation? After Creation of Ravenwood?"

Destiny couldn't argue with Neela's good points. So reluctantly Destiny sighed, defeated.

Neela gave a brief nod to Destiny before turning back to the scene. "0 A.C.!"

At first, there was silence. Destiny and Neela both waited with snagged breath…

"False! 15 A.C.! After Creation means Creation of the Spiral!"

Destiny gasped. "No! Neela!"

Neela gulped- that announcer had said that if they had gotten one question wrong that they would die. "I-I'm so sorry Destiny!"

Destiny sighed. "We can't die, not now, not with so much on the line-"

Destiny's thinking was cut off abruptly by Neela's hysterical scream of fright. "OH MY-"

Neela wasn't the only one with fear injected into her suddenly- an arsenal of creatures, any kind of any size, had just clambered out of the trees.

Neela started taking ragged breaths. "W-Where'd they come from?!"

"Well, this is the Myth Trial, so expect things to pop out of nowhere," Destiny gritted her teeth as she said this.

Abruptly Neela gasped- but not in fright or astonishment, due to the relieved laugh coming out from it. "Myth! Myth! That's it! Destiny, what's Chris's aura?"

"Do we have time for this?"

"Just- what is it?!"

"I'm pretty sure he can make things pop out of nowhere. Why?"

"Well, we're Pure Descendants in this Trial, right?" Neela hurried to Destiny.

"…We are?" Destiny was astonished, a jolt of shock buzzing throughout her nervous system. "Pure Descendants…"

"Yeah, duh!" Neela said. "Anyways, since we're Pure Descendants, we have the bloodlines of every Legendary in us, so if we try really hard, perhaps we can envision a door that leads out of the Ordeal!"

Destiny gasped, not quite getting what Neela was saying. "B-break out of the… the Ordeal?" That was unheard of.

Neela nodded vigorously. "Better than certain death, if you ask me!"

Destiny looked to the advancing creatures, as if she needed confirmation, than quickly turned back to Neela and nodded. "All right- I suppose it's worth a shot."

Neela nodded back to her and gripped Destiny's hand tightly. "Imagine," Neela breathed to Destiny. "Imagine a door leading to the outside world as hard as you can! We have to get out of here!"

In response, Destiny pulled her head away from Neela, closed her eyes, and started to contruct a door in her head. It wasn't a very tall one, but it was pretty wide- wide enough for two teenagers to go out side to side.

When she heard the monsters coming near, Destiny crushed her eyes together. This has got to work this has got to work-

Destiny heard an unmistakable swish.

Taking the chance, Destiny opened her eyes abruptly to see a door outlined in a golden frame.

Destiny's body seemed to act on its own when she shook Neela as if her life depended on it. "Neela! Come on! We got it! WE GOT IT!"

Neela opened her eyes suddenly and quickly caught on to what Destiny was talking about. "Run, now!"

They split their hands apart and quickly broke out into a hard run, one that severely tested their drive and energy.

In the process the creatures did try to get in their way, slashing at them repeatedly, and one from a minotaur's ax came no more than a half inch close from shredding Destiny's face to pieces. But she was able to get over the shock and move on with Neela.

When Destiny squinted, running to the door, she could see some dust coming out from it-

"Hurry! Destiny, come on, it's disintigrating!"

Destiny squared her shoulders and hunched her back, seeing her legs shoot out one after the other. The door was growing larger, larger…

"Almost there!"

Nearly out of breath, Destiny used the heels of her feet to skid to a sudden stop to prevent herself from ramming her body into the door. Beads of sweat perspiring on her fingers, she unleashed the door open and ran in headfirst, seeing Neela quite close behind…

* * *

><p>BAM!<p>

Destiny's eyes shot open with a nervous jolt, inhaling a deep gasp and her eyes darting all over. Her forehead was immensely damped with sweat, her entire body shaking terribly, and she appeared to be laying on some kind of thin mattress.

Desperate to observe her surroundings, Destiny sat up to see what was around her-

All around Destiny were several mattresses, most of them with blood-covered wizards laying on them. Medics and nurses ran to and fro in a kind of cave, a bunch of screaming, cries of death and anger being lit and almost deafening Destiny's ears.

Panicked, Destiny's eyes grew wide. Wha-

"What's going on?" Destiny cried out, attracting the attention of a few medics. "Why am I here? Why are all the other kids here? And where's Neela?"

That was another thing. Now that Neela was out of the Ordeal, was Neela on her side, or Vladimir's? She desperately hoped-

"DESTINY!"

Destiny was barely able to rotate her head before blood-stained Jason and Ryan practically pounced on her.

"We found you half-dead in that cave!" Ryan exclaimed. "Holy Mother of Bartleby, you're actually alive!" Ryan was laughing, his eyes watering in relief.

Destiny smiled and nodded briefly to Ryan. "Thanks, but- again, what's going on?"

All of a sudden both Jason and Ryan looked very nervous.

"That's the bad part," Jason announced after clearing this throat. "The very bad part. You see, apparently Vladimir succeeded in that goal he was in-"

Destiny's eyes widened to the size of dinner plates horrifically, suddenly the air damp and moist with sweat. "What do you mean?"

Only she already knew what they meant. Destiny just didn't want to believe it.

But sure enough-

"What we mean is- Valkoor Thorn has been brought back from the dead."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Gosh, I remember writing the Ordeal a year ago. That in itself was an ordeal for me. . . it was so freaking hard to write. . .**

**Anyways. And that, folks, wraps up Part 11. Now we begin Part 12 the bloody!**


	28. Part 12 TBotE P2 Revival Part 1

_The Necromancer's Matter, Part 12; The Beginning of the End, Part 2; Revival (Part 1)_

Destiny was barely able to contain herself.

"Why?! Vladimir succeeded! No! We're done for!" Destiny practically screamed.

Ryan nodded grimly. "Done for indeed. Just look." Ryan gestured to all the hospital mattresses around them, yet pointing to one in particular that seemed to have a familiar face-

_Sarai._

Destiny heaved herself up to check out Sarai, choking in disbelief at what she saw. For Sarai was laying in a pool of her own blood spilling out from her thigh. To make matters worse, her eyes were closed-

Scared, Destiny turned to the boys. "Is Sarai gonna be okay?"

Jason shook his head. "She's already dead."

Destiny gulped, slowly turning her head to Sarai as Jason proceeded.

"Sarai really does have a true heart- she was among the first to charge out to Valkoor. She led a small army that charged at Valkoor, starting this war in Dragonspyre. Now many have gotten themselves involved- the entire whole of Dragonspyre and Wizard City is participating in an ultimate battle. But the thing is, many are fearful of Valkoor, so there are a lot who have turned over to him. It's wizard against wizard, kin against kin."

Destiny began to draw deep breaths at a time. Keep calm Destiny, keep calm… the Ordeal prepared you for this…

Suddenly Destiny wished that she and Neela had lived throughout the whole Ordeal- they probably would have been better prepared in that sense. They had been irrational…

The only way to make up for that was to go out there and to place her life on the line. Destiny couldn't stand by and watch, she had to see what was going on for herself-

Destiny stood up. "Where's that Blade?" Destiny asked. "Com'on- we're going out there. All of us. The only way to not face destruction is to fight."

Grimly Ryan and Jason nodded.

* * *

><p>Vladimir Thorn had made the worst mistake of his life.<p>

Why had he ever made out Valkoor Thorn to be a leader? Bah! A tyrant! Now Vladimir could see why the Order, who he had always fought against, had tried to stop him…

"Vladimir."

Vladimir half jumped, slowly turning around. That voice… it was a deep boom, an echo, yet it was as disturbing as a knife scalping itself on steel.

Vladimir gulped, barely able to retain himself when he looked at him.

Once people really squinted, they could see a resemblance between Vladimir and Valkoor. The same build, face shape, the crooked fingers and short noses, the jutting, pointing chins and the height- not to mention the hair, the jet-black hair. The only thing that set them apart was the eyes- Vladimir's was a round aqua while Valkoor's was an almond-shaped amber, squinted as if he were planning your demise in an entertaining way and that you didn't know it amused him.

But Vladimir had expected Valkoor's eyes to be crimson, just as they stated in the tales, crimson as lava-

So why was it a molten amber? At that, _Neela's_ amber?

Vladimir barely had time to think.

"What's the matter, my descendant?" Valkoor Thorn hissed. "You were the one who brought me back into this life- and soon I must repay you, no doubt, I will be sparing your life- so why aren't you fighting alongside me?"

Vladimir opened his mouth to reply, but ended up not forming any words. Suddenly his palms were slick with sweat, and everything was nauseas. Panic shot through his body like electrical currents.

Valkoor's mouth narrowed into one straight line before the ends of his mouth folded, suggesting a small smile. "Well?"

Still Vladimir said nothing. He dared himself to look into his ancestor's eyes-

Neela.

Quickly Vladimir pulled himself away.

Valkoor smirked. "Well, as long as it takes for you to answer, one of your comrades will die. Observe." Valkoor gestured to the left.

Reluctantly Vladimir followed his eyes-

There was Anthony Spiritwalker, his eyes hollow and looking up at the sky, formerly a crystine blue, now with red beginning to take it over. Vladimir quickly realized that Anthony wasn't looking at anything.

Suddenly Vladimir caught a glimpse of Neela lying there, Llewella lying there…

Valkoor lying there.

The last image gave Vladimir an immense amount of satisfaction, more than he had dared hope for, one he would have banished not two hours ago. Vladimir had to make that image a reality, the first two images his imagination-

Vladimir had to take Valkoor down from the inside. He had to redeem himself.

Briefly, Vladimir nodded.

* * *

><p>Moments later Destiny was dressed in a uniform that signaled a power over the wizard army. She wore a shirt and pants laden with buttons and a little red cape, and a little black and red beret suited her nicely. The Blade of Seven hung dangerously at her hip, and Destiny wondered if she would be using it for killing.<p>

Destiny and Chris, the wielders of the Blade, should be absolutely powerful with it, unmatched. But that was before they were fighting against a Legendary.

Quickly enough Destiny spotted Ryan and Jason dressed similar to her, Ryan in purple and gold and Jason in red and orange.

"So, where is everyone in the Order?" Destiny asked as she walked side by side with Ryan and Jason, Jason on the middle and Ryan and Destiny on either side of him.

"Well, we're here, right now," Jason pointed out obviously. "Alexis and Esmee have taken it upon theirselves to be in charge of the medical unit. Chris, Jessica, Natalie and Noah are all on the battlefield, I'm not sure where the Balance Siblings are."

"Has anyone we really know died so far?" Destiny asked.

Ryan smiled as far as this situation would allow him to. "Thankfully, no."

But Jason corrected that statement. "Not yet, that is. I mean, just look."

A breath of fresh air greeted Destiny, Jason and Ryan once they stepped out of the medical unit cave. Destiny's lower lip dropped open.

It looked like some scene from a horror/action book. Everywhere wizards were fighting, spells taking up quite a lot of elbow room. A few dead bodies littered the ground, and here or there a theurgist was taking a wounded wizard to safety. The formerly clear blue sky was slowly being consumed by a blood red.

And in the middle of it all, looking to be absolutely comfortable with it, stood a man.

The first impression that he gave Destiny was a reminder of Vladimir. He did look like Vladimir. He had the same features, the same heart-shaped face, narrow amber eyes and jet-black hair longer than Vladimir's.

So that was Valkoor Thorn, wasn't it?

Destiny smiled cruelly. "Guys, come on! Just- if we can get to Valkoor, than we may be able to stop this fighting."

Jason rolled his eyes. "Yeah, like that thought hasn't occurred to us already," he replied sarcastically. "We tried already- he has who knows how many bodyguards surrounding him. And if we manage to overcome that, by that time we'll be tired and worn-down. Then there's the fact that he's a Legendary. We'll be dead in seconds."

Destiny's muscles stiffened, not saying anything. She knew Jason was right- she just didn't want to admit it. It seemed like Valkoor was a good strategist after all.

"So we get the rest of the Order," Ryan suddenly suggested. "After all, we're Descendants- we're more powerful than Valkoor's so-called bodyguards, after all."

Jason and Destiny looked over to him. Immediately Ryan seemed to shrivel, as if he were caught doing something he wasn't supposed to.

"A simple plan," Jason murmured. "But given the odds it might work. We just have to make sure we get the other Descendants before they're killed."

* * *

><p>Vladimir's fingers on his own plain, onyx sword open and closed, open and closed on the blade nervously. Soon enough his fingers were slick with sweat not only from the heat, but from anxiety. Was his plan really going to work?<p>

"So, you're Valkoor, aren't you?"

Vladimir's head snapped up to attention when he found the owner of that voice- a man in his thirties or so with thinning fire-red hair and bright blue eyes. He wore a cloak studded with the Astral school symbols all over it that swept elegantly to the ground and kept to him a powerful, intricately marked staff.

Headmaster Ambrose.

Vladimir looked to Valkoor, whose thin lips crinkled to form a evilly gleeful smile. "Indeed I am, Ambrose- or, as I know you, the Holder of the Force."

Vladimir stifled a gasp as the Headmaster flinched. So this person, the one who oversaw the Ravenwood School of Magic, bore within him the essence of all magic?

Suddenly Vladimir could see what would come next- Valkoor had full intentions of killing Headmaster Ambrose. If he killed him, than Valkoor would be named the rightful owner of the Force, unless he passed it on to someone- which he wouldn't. If he did that, than Valkoor would be unstoppable.

Vladimir had to act, and soon. He had to prevent Valkoor from getting the Force at all costs.

"Who in their right mind would think to bring you back?" Ambrose snarled.

Valkoor chuckled darkly. It started out as a low laugh, quickly becoming a loud, rattling boom that attracted attention.

Once Valkoor was done laughing, he simply replied, "Why, you should thank my descendant here. All of this is kudos to Vladimir." Valkoor gestured to him.

Ambrose's attention swiveled from Valkoor to Vladimir. "I knew that nothing good would come out of a Descendant of Valkoor," he grumbled.

It was now Vladimir's turn to flinch.

Valkoor sighed. "Aw, don't make this so dramatic, Ambrose," he whined sarcastically. "I think this is entertaining enough as it is- the two of us, Holder and Legendary, going into combat! Why, I think this will be entertaining indeed! I can't wait to kill you!"

* * *

><p>Destiny, Jason and Ryan all ran as fast as they could through the battle scene, hoping to get to one or more of the other Descendants. Destiny tried not to think of all the bodies and spells she was barely dodging and tried to remain focused on their goal, embodying this through narrowed eyes.<p>

Breath was starting to come short from her, but this just motivated Destiny to pump her legs faster.

All of them ran side by side, and when a bulging rock blocked their way, they simply hopped over it, the sun's rays illuminating their bodies for a second. Destiny, Jason and Ryan all hung in mid-air for a moment before landing back on the surface and continuing to pursue their goal.

* * *

><p>Vladimir felt compelled to butt in the way when Ambrose simply smiled. "Gladly," he remarked. "Anything to take you down."<p>

Vladimir unconsciously took a few steps back from the battle.

Valkoor was the first to make a move. A death meteor quickly began to pummel Ambrose, but Ambrose simply conjured a Black Shield in time to block every single one of the strikes, quickly followed by a helephant.

The helephant bellowed a fiery roar from its trunk and avidly began to slash at Valkoor. This didn't perturb Valkoor, however, as he lithely jumped out of the way at the last second from every one of its slashes.

Ambrose gritted his teeth before attempting another spell- but Valkoor was quick to attack at just the same time as him. Both of them conjured spells- an ice symbol for Ambrose and another traditional V for Valkoor- and released them with their wands at exactly the same moment.

The ice wyvern seemed to inflate itself with life's air, making it real, before slithering back and biting at Valkoor's Thornzilla. The Thornzilla twitched and screeched in pain a bit, but not before directing a scream straight in Ambrose's direction.

Sure enough, it was effective. Ambrose gasped, his staff clanking to the ground and clutching at his ears ferociously.

Valkoor smirked while Vladimir's lower lip dropped open in a twisted mix of shock, awe and agony. He knew what happened right then- Ambrose had suddenly become hard of hearing and Vladimir knew that now there would be a blinding pain in the Headmaster's eardrums.

Despite Ambrose's snide remark about him being a Descendant of Valkoor, he still wanted to help him. Vladimir was even about to outstretch his hand and to ask how he could help when he quickly caught himself and reminded himself that if he did so, not only would he be killed but he would not be able to set his plan to action.

So for now, all Vladimir could do was watch.

* * *

><p>It caught Llewella aback how much this looked like some bloody action book.<p>

She had had no idea what she was in for when she had agreed to join Ryan and his little gang. Now a lot of those were either dead, turning against one another, or fighting for their lives out there.

Llewella knew that she would never be able to do something as noble as place her life down the line- she just wasn't ready to. But she knew that she would also feel guilty if she just stood there. So Llewella had took it upon herself to help Alexis and Esmee to tend to the wounded. After all, medics were just as effective as soldiers- it amazed her now how little credit in stories and movies back on Earth they were given. Llewella made a note to do something to recognize them once she returned to Earth.

If she ever did.

Llewella instantly shook her head rapidly, as if that alone would shake the depressing thought from her mind. She had to focus on Cheyenne- her arm was almost ripped to shreds and in a huge bloody mess.

As Llewella conjured a small pixie to help restore her a bit, her thoughts quickly trailed to her brother. Where was he now?

Suddenly she knew that she had to see him. Llewella had been so mean to him and had just walked out on him- she had to make up for it.

The green, magical glow soon decapitated from Cheyenne's arm. Llewella inspected it with a theurgist's eye- it was good, for now. Just had to take an hour or so for it to become useful again.

Llewella's head swiveled to Alexis, the head of the medical unit, who was shaking her head grimly and placing a white sheet over a boy's head. Another flash came to Llewella- what if Vladimir was in here, right now? Or worse, what if he was…

"What about Vladimir?" Llewella asked Alexis bluntly.

Alexis turned to Llewella, temporarily seeming to get over the boy's death that she had been unable to prevent. "Why are you worried for that bag of scum?" Alexis growled. "He's the one who started this whole mess!"

Llewella opened her mouth to protest, but no words came to her mind for a moment. But just as Alexis was about to look away, Llewella reminded, "But he is my brother. I- I have to see if he's okay!"

Alexis's body stopped moving, one moment being as still as a stone statue, then slowly nodded. "I guess you should."

There was a point of concern in Alexis's voice that Llewella didn't let go undetected.

"What is it?" Llewella asked.

Alexis sighed. "It's just that- my sister, Ashley. She's out there too. She's only ten…" Alexis's words trailed off, and she looked more solemn than ever.

After an awkward moment of silence, Alexis smiled weakly. "Yeah, I agree. You need to find Vladimir."

Llewella shared Alexis's uneasy grin before bolting out of the medics' cave and out onto the Dragonspyre battlefield. Her raven hair flew gracefully in the wind, trailing behind her and her eyes hardened with determination.

_I guess this is what you do when you put your life on the line,_ Llewella thought, knowing that her life would be exposed out here. _You feel it's only necessary when you need to protect someone you care about._

* * *

><p>"We've got to find someone!" Destiny called out.<p>

Jason smirked. "Like we don't know that-" Jason skidded to a stop abruptly, Destiny and Ryan following his lead.

There they were- Connor, Garrett-

And Dylan.

"…gonna go up against us again, Dylan?" Connor sneered. "Will you choose the right for once? Don't slip completely away in the darkness!"

Dylan didn't say anything to that, thus creating an air of unease among the Balance brothers. Destiny couldn't see Emma among them for obvious reasons- her age.

Instead of attempting to bite back with a nasty retort, Dylan just hung his head solemnly, as if he were a mourner at a funeral, paying final respects. His dark eyes didn't dare meet up to either of his older brothers, shoulders limp and knees beginning to knock against each other.

Finally, Dylan slowly looked up, his eyes slowly being poured with a mix of determination and fear.

"Kill me."

Garrett gasped, instinctively taking a step back in turn to Dylan's shocking request. "Wha- what?" he cried. "Dylan… of course we aren't going to kill you! Why would you think that?!"

But Dylan proceeded as if he hadn't heard Garrett in the first place.

"Kill me," insisted Dylan. "Face it- there's nothing left for me here. I lost my twin, now I'm on bad terms with you two and Emma, I've made a bunch of mistakes… I'm going to be killed in this battle anyways, from the looks of it. So…" Dylan's voice rose at his next words, "just do it now, will ya! Make it quick!"

"What makes you think killing yourself will be the solution?" Connor hissed, racking his brain for a way to fix this problem.

"Think about it for once," Dylan continued. "It- it'll spare me from witnessing things that aren't exactly good going on. I'll be reunited with Nicolas. I'll no longer have to suffer…"

"No, it's you who isn't thinking about it!" Connor yelled. "If you do this, you're going to regret it for eternity! And have you given a thought to how we feel? We would be devastated if you were gone! We can't lose two brothers!"

Dylan just shook his head, stunned by his words and slowly figuring out what to say. "Would… would you really think that?" he spoke so softly and slowly that Destiny was barely able to hear him. "'Are you going to go up against us again, Dylan? Will you choose the right for once?' 'Have you given us a thought to how we feel?'"

The reality stung harshly into Connor, who cringed and bowed his head down.

"I'm sorry," he murmured.

At this, Dylan's eyes also softened- maybe this situation could be resolved. Maybe all of the books said true- maybe there really were happy endings.

So Dylan slowly began to reach his arm out, to reassure Connor and Garrett. "It's oka-"

Dylan was cut off short by a gasp of surprise.

The gasp caught everyone else's attention, bringing them to look at Dylan- or rather, the sword piercing through his chest.

Dylan's eyes popped, and he muttered a few words, almost indiscernible. But somehow, Destiny was able to hear it, despite her attention being fixed on the blood dripping out of his chest.

Slowly, Dylan began to smile. "Nicolas… be… you… it's okay…"

Then his eyes fluttered shut and his shoulders slumped.

For a few agonizing moments, they all just stared at the now lifeless necromancer. Bile rose in Destiny's throat, but quickly shoved it down. This was war- she would have to get used to death, and fast.

It didn't seem like Connor or Garrett were going to accept that anytime soon. "YOU LITTLE!" Garrett screamed once the sword slowly extracted from Dylan's body to reveal Jose Breeze.

Jose smirked. "What can I say?" he sneered. "You heard him- he wanted death. So I decided to grant his wish."

Garrett screamed. "MURDERER!" he yelled in outrage. In a flash, he whipped his staff and began to cast a barrage of Balance spells, none of them hitting due to his slipping attention.

Luckily, Connor seemed a bit more focused, even if he was seething and barely reeling in grief. What would Emma say when she found out that not one, but now two of her brothers were dead?

Quickly Connor etched a Balance symbol in the air, making sure to embody every bit of his pain, rage, emotion, skill and focus into the spell. He would avenge Dylan's death!

And sure enough, an amazing spell popped out of the symbol- one none of them had never seen before.

A giant, bare-chested, warrior flashed out of the symbol, with rather a triangular face and multiple markings on his body. He was dressed weirdly- as if he were in some sort of tribe. He held two weapons- an odd staff and an ankh charm.

The warrior pointed the staff at Jose, then lifted the ankh in the opposite direction. Light gathered in the hole of the ankh, being a dazzling, stunning, ray of light, pointed at Jose.

Then the light gathered up and blasted itself in a straight ray at Jose.

The light was so bright that no one could bare to watch. Everyone around the area looked away in fear of being blinded permanently.

Finally, the light went out abruptly and the warrior dissolved. Destiny felt like it was safe to look now, and was appalled by what she saw next.

Connor's spell had quite the effect on Jose. Now the diviner was sprawled on the ground, limbs at odd ankles and severely burnt.

No one spoke, but were all thinking the same thing- Connor had done a good job avenging Dylan.

"That's… like, legendary or something!" Garrett laughed.

Connor allowed a small smile as more people gathered around. Multiple What was that?'s and Woah…'s jumbled together, and a girl shot out of the crowd.

"Holy freaking mother of nature!" Natalie Goldenflame cried. "Now THAT was an awesome spell! How did you-"

Then she noticed Dylan's body.

Natalie moved her mouth to speak, but no words could come out. She just looked mournfully at Dylan.

"I'm sorry," she said softly.

Connor just nodded while Garrett tried to appear easygoing. "Well- we did pretty much create a new spell! That's cool!"

"But at the cost of a life," Connor grudgingly reminded.

Destiny nodded, deciding to speak up. "Which is why all Descendants need to unite right now. We have to get to Valkoor Thorn and kill him. It's the only way to prevent any more bloodshed."

Garrett, Connor and Natalie nodded. "Right."

* * *

><p>With every spell Valkoor casted, Vladimir gripped his sword tighter.<p>

Right now Valkoor had just summoned a herd of black cats, all swarming around Ambrose, pawing and scratching at him. He began to look very alarmed as he attempted to cast a spell.

Vladimir had to admit it now. Ambrose was beginning to become quite overwhelmed. He wondered if he should help him...

No. Not yet. Vladimir had to wait for just the right moment to strike and take down Valkoor by surprise. It was the only way he could be killed.

For now, all he could do was watch.

Ambrose closed his eyes, then, with a furious roar, all the black cats suddenly exploded off of him. They were sent flying to the ground, now looking like now more than a pile of fizzle.

Vladimir wished he could do that to Valkoor. But not even the Force could defeat a Legendary just like that.

"You're struggling to keep up," Valkoor sneered in his eerie voice. "How pitiful- is this the strong man everyone respects and knows as the embodiment of magic?"

Valkoor laughed harshly. "You're growing weak and feeble, old man."

A noise came from Ambrose. At first Vladimir couldn't tell what it was, but when Ambrose lifted his head for him to see quite a smug smile.

"I might be aging somewhat," Ambrose agreed, "but I'm not the only one who has flaws. It's easy to tell that you're not Valkoor Thorn."

Vladimir's eyes widened. What was Ambrose...

He diverted his attention to Valkoor, whose muscles stiffened and a flash swept across his amber irises.

Quickly he laughed. "I'm not Valkoor Thorn?" he asked. "Oh, you just about got me on that one, you fool."

Ambrose just kept smiling, and straightened up. "You're hiding it," Ambrose kept saying. "I have no idea who you really are, being in Valkoor's body. Someone clearly used the Ritual on you."

The Headmaster eyed Valdimir, then resolved on quickly turning to him. "I can tell- you began the Ritual, but you didn't finish it, eh?"

Valkoor's eyes turned to Vladimir as well as he said nothing, remembering what had happened.

Destiny had tried to stop him, but he was assuming she fell into the Ordeal at the last moment. But she had succeeded in distracting him, which led Neela to finish the Ritual.

Neela had passed out, and after that, nothing happened- not until the coffin had been blasted to bits and Valkoor Thorn had stepped out.

Valkoor Thorn headed out, and Vladimir collected Neela's body- not without noticing that something about her looked... Different. He couldn't quite place it, but there was definitely something off.

As for Destiny, Jason and Ryan had swooped in and gotten her out of there. Jason had looked at Vladimir as if he were trying to kill him in just one look as he heaved her form over his shoulder.

Vladimir had a feeling he would never forget that sad yet infuriated and piercing glare.

When he said nothing, Valkoor and Ambrose turned back to themselves.

"No matter," Valkoor had dismissed. "Whether or not I am Valkoor- which I am- I will still finish you off, right here, right now!"

With that, he rushed at Ambrose with his sword held high over his head, but not before Ambrose fiercely drove his astral staff into the Dragonspyre ground. It sent a rippling circle to protect Ambrose, pushing a charging Valkoor back harshly. The ripple wad slowly forming into a dome.

"Creators of the Spiral," Ambrose hurriedly muttered, then cried out the last part, "lend me your strength!"

With that, a thunderous ripple likewise to the one that repelled Valkoor boomed throughout Dragonspyre and the rest of the battleground. It was like it was calling out to all life through the Spiral.

And sure enough, dark clouds began gathering right above Ambrose and Valkoor, both of them tilting their heads up to watch.

A flash of lightning suddenly struck at the ground, right next to Ambrose. Vladimir half leapt back in fear that it would kill him.

But it didn't. The lightning left a dark purple... Portal was the only word for it. And stepping right out from it was a heavily muscled man with messy purple hair, heavily tanned skin and lightning-quick eyes.

Vladimir stared at him. The young adult radiated power, but who was he?

More wizards followed consequentially. A snowfall was short lived, bringing an ice-blue portal, a pretty girl stepping out from it. A veil covered her long blue hair and the eyes to match.

In opposition, a fire raged suddenly. The portal must have been inside the fire, because a hooded girl walked calmly out of it, unscathed. Her red eyes blazed mercilessly, her thin wand ready for war and a fire cat trailing her heels.

The next one creeped Vladimir out the most, despite being in the Death School. Vladimir immediately compared him that to of a shadow, foreboding and cruel. Black robes swept the ground, and his hollow eyes were almost like black holes. To look more normal, he had the addition of salt-and-pepper hair, and the face of a teenager.

Vladimir doubted he was a teenager.

Right next to him a man fumbled out of a portal. He was somewhat plump, but that could be from the muscle he had built up. Scars of dirt, grime and experience coated his body and work apron. His tousled yet groomed hair fit with his bright eyes.

Vladimir quickly recognized the next one- a girl wearing Mooshu robes, a wreath of branches crowned atop her dark brown hair. Her moist green eyes were warm and welcoming, yet stern.

Lindsay.

Vladimir was quick to correct himself. Life. This was the Legendary Life-

With that realization, Vladimir was quick to realize who they all were as the seventh teenager was revealed- one wearing novice Balance robes, auburn hair pulling down to his shoulders and sandy eyes swirling around the scene.

The last one confused Vladimir. Stepping out from a white portal was a girl who didn't look more than eleven- the definition of white. A baby face was wreathed by stark-white hair, and white clothes accepted her body. The only aspects of her that weren't white were her violet eyes and a few small amethysts embroidered on her staff.

Vladimir had no idea who the girl in white was, but now he knew who the rest if them were.  
>The Legendaries.<p>

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Death of characters and the appearance of the Legendaries. Yup. And this is just a little taste of what's to come in Part 12.**

** Banana: Oh my gosh, thank you so much for reviewing! As for the ending and stuff, yes, it is complete on other sites, but it will be on this one too quite soon. There's around five chapters that have Part 12 in it, and then Part 13 is gonna be one, giant, explosive ending chapter. **

**So readers, check back tomorrow!**


	29. Part 12 TBotE P2 Revival Part 2

_The Necromancer's Matter, Part 12; The Beginning of the End, Part 2; Revival (Part 2)_

She was standing on a high point, on the edge of a jutting cliff, looking over the battle below.

All of it seemed to spread to her, the sadness. All those lives… wizards that hopes and dreams, families and friends- their bodies were starting to be strewn around the Dragonspyre ground as if it were litter.

…Who would be evil enough to do this?

As if someone read her thoughts, immediately she received an answer. "You did that."

Immediately she spun around, the three words slithering in an out of her ear repeatedly like vipers. An eleven year old boy, looking proud, crossed his arms smugly.

"Well? There you have it!" he said in mock respect. "You and Vladie here just caused all of this!"

She scrunched her eyebrows in frustration. She felt as if the aqua-haired necromancer should be quite familiar… yet he wasn't.

"W-what do you mean?" she chose her words carefully. "Who're you?"

The boy took a step back instinctively, but quickly recovered and smirked. "Oh, quit fooling around, Neela," he hissed before spinning on his heels, ready to walk away. But not before he added, "You monster."

A line of sweat immediately broke out on her forehead.

* * *

><p>Throughout it all Llewellla had to press herself hard to go on. She would have nightmares for months, wouldn't she?<p>

Luckily, it would all be worth it. At least, she hoped.

A large elephant standing on hind legs and wearing Arab-themed clothing suddenly appeared in front of Llewella. Instinctively she gave a small yelp, quickly finding the grandmaster pyromancer who was behind it.

Llewella gulped. She was barely a novice theurgist! What was she supposed to do against… against… against that?!

She took a deep breath, unraveling her wand from her green robes. Well, she could try, couldn't she?

This was quickly foiled. The helephant roared, and the yell was so piercing that just the sheer force of it threw Llewella and sent her skidding across the gravel.

Llewella gritted her teeth, trying to withstand the pain of all the scrapes on her back she received. No, she wouldn't let it get in the way!

But before she could do anything, multiple fire blasts were aimed at the helephant- ones that dealt small damage, but there seemed to be millions of them, like bullets from a machine gun. As a result, the summoned creature dissolved in seconds.

A sweet yet harsh voice narrowed at the pyromancer responsible for the helephant. "Leave her alone. She's a novice!"

The pyromancer opened his mouth to protest, and seemed to say what was on his mind- then his eyes widened and quickly nodded before running away.

A sigh. "Well, sorry about that. Are you okay?"

Llewella took a hand offered to her- from the proportions this confirmed her savior was a female.

Once standing up, Llewella was able to get a good look at her. She was an adult, looking to be in her late twenties or early thirties. Flaming red hair brought out bright blue eyes well, and hung to about her broad shoulders. Somehow, Llewella recognized her as a pyromancer as well.

Llewella nodded. "Y-yeah. Thanks."

"You do realize that novices like you shouldn't be right out here on the front lines, right?" the woman kindly reprimanded. "These parts are filled with bloodthirsty grandmasters- it's suicide out here."

Llewella hung her head down. "I-I know," she answered softly. "But… well…" her head quickly rose up, and her eyes were hardened again. "I have a brother, Vladimir. I need to get to him!"

The woman seemed to flinch at the mention of her brother, but her eyes also seemed to be filled with a new thing- a genuine understanding.

She nodded. "I suppose I see where you're getting at. I need to find my husband as well."

"W-who's he?" Llewella asked.

The woman was just about to reply, but immediately she whipped around and brought a storm shield to life to repeal a Stormzilla. Once the Stormzilla had gone, she brought out her wand and threw a harsh phoenix at the diviner.

She turned around again. "Anyways, he's Redbeard Ambrose himself!" the woman smiled. "Oh- and my name's Amber Ambrose."

"Amber Ambrose," Llewella repeated. "Sounds kinda funny."

Amber rolled her eyes. "Whatever. Anyways- I have a baby to quickly get to. Shall we find them together?"

Llewella smiled and nodded.

* * *

><p>"So who do we need to find now?" Ryan asked.<p>

Destiny furrowed her eyebrows in thought. "There's Esmee and Alexis at the medical base -and I think Noah might be there as well due to injuries- first of all, so someone needs to get them. I'm guessing no one has any idea where Chris, Jessica, Cody is."

"So we need to find those three," Natalie stressed.

Jason nodded in affirmation. "Right. We need to split up- part of us go to the medical base and another part look through the battlefield for the other three."

The Descendant of Fire immediately made correct calculations. "Ryan, Destiny, Natalie- look through the battlefield for Chris and the necromancers. Garrett, Connor and I will go to the medical base and get the girls and Noah. Seem good?"

Everyone nodded.

Jason smiled despite the pressure of being leader. "Now- find them quickly, because we really don't have much time! Move out!"

The first one Ryan, Destiny and Natalie were able to find was Jessica. She had been locked in combat with another thautamerge before they had pulled her away. "But I was pounding him to a pulp…" she had grumbled to them.

Despite Jessica's protests, they were quickly able to move on and start looking for Cody.

After an hour or so of looking, they were able to find the young necromancer, who was walking away from a jutting cliff that seemed to be overlooking the whole scene.

Destiny was the first to rush up to him. "Cody! There you are!"

Cody tilted his head in amusement. "Well well, I've been looking for ya," he said. "What took you so long?"

"Other stuff," Ryan answered simply.

"Yeah, oh my gosh, you should have seen it!" Natalie put in. "Connor summoned this huge thingy! It was awesome!"

Ryan stared at Natalie in disbelief. "A huge _thingy_?" he repeated.

Natalie opened her mouth to argue in defense, but that quickly died down to a rabid blushing.

Cody rolled his eyes. "Well, whatever. So what's up with you guys?"

"Well, as of now we're just trying to find everyone," Destiny explained. "We now just have to find Chris- Jason and the remaining Balance Siblings are heading on over to the medical unit to find Esmee, Alexis and Noah."

Cody nodded. "All right- where do we meet up?"

"Hmm… I don't think we thought of that, hehe," Ryan shrugged. "Well, we'll find a way. We always do."

* * *

><p>"NO!"<p>

"But Alexis, this is vital-"

Alexis cut Jason off with a sharp wave of her hand. "Yes yes, I know how vital this is and all! But the even more vital thing-"

"ALEXIS! COME QUICK!"

The theurgist sighed in annoyance and flung a wet rag at the wall. "Oh, what is it-" Quickly she cut herself off with a gasp and ran at top speed towards a fellow theurgist.

Jason spun around, shocked by Alexis's sudden mood swings lately. "What's up with Alexis?" he asked.

Esmee shrugged. "Well… she's been really intense lately. She's worried sick about her little sister lately, and will stop at nothing to make sure she's safe. After all, most of her elder sisters had died in a dueling accident years back, so she's extremely protective of Ash-"

An agonized scream quickly cut them off.

Immediately the attention swung to the foot of the cave, where Alexis seemed to be toppling to the ground. Esmee gulped, not liking the sound of things.

Bracing themselves, they ran to Alexis-

To find that she had collapsed in front of a girl on a stretcher. The girl, looking to be eleven or so, with green hair in a ponytail just like Alexis usually did, had her eyes shut peacefully and was resting in a pool of blood spilling from a wound in her hip.

Alexis dared herself to look up to the medic. "Is… is she…"

The medic scratched his neck. "I don't know what to say. Ashley's alive… for now, that is. She's mortally wounded and in serious condition." He spoke the next words with reverence. "But the truth is, I don't know if any theurgist can help her now."

Alexis's eyes quivered, unsure of what to say-

Then suddenly a blinding light seemed to come from out of the battlefield. First there was a purple light, than an ice blue light, than fire red…

Garrett dared himself to take a few feet outside, and Jason quickly followed. They both squinted far off into the distance…

Jason racked his brain. This light… it was comforting, yet very powerful… where did it, how…

Suddenly it hit him hard, as bluntly as if a frying pan had been smacked against him.

"The Legendaries are here," he said slowly. "I never thought it'd be this intense…"

Behind him, Alexis gasped and raised her eyebrows. Her eyes darted back and forth between the scene and Ashley… and just like that she quickly came down to a decision.

Alexis closed her eyes, smiling, and stood up. "Well, perhaps there is a theurgist who can help her," she said.

She opened her eyes again, and now instead of filled with sadness, it was brimming with a new, smiling hope and determination, just like that Llewella girl.

"All right! Esmee and I will come! Now someone, quick, get Noah!"

* * *

><p>Vladimir immediately froze just at the sight of the eight people.<p>

The eighth one, the girl, closed her eyes. "Well, Valkoor. What have you done now?" she asked in a voice that suggested she was much more ancient than her physical age suggested.

Valkoor's lips curled into a wicked smile. "Time! How good it is to see you again!" His voice slowly rumbled deeper and deeper with hatred until he was spitting out the words.

Vladimir's eyes scanned the scene curiously. Valkoor was obviously mad at this girl...

Balance chuckled. "Ah, so you're still mad at her because despite your attempts to kill her as a non-Legendary she still survived. Hmm?"

"You guessed it," Valkoor grimly acknowledged.

In a flash, Valkoor brought out a sword again and charged straight at Time- she just stood there as if this was absolutely normal.

"This time, I'll kill you!" Valkoor screamed in rage.

Time was calmly readying herself to strike against Valkoor, hunching back as her hands alone seemed to gather something.

Valkoor kept running towards her, but suddenly skidded to a halt as the black-clad teenager, Death, said something.

"There's a different aura around you."

Valkoor laughed. "Oh, so I'm going to get more of this nonsense?"

Death closed his eyes, and scrunched his face as if he were concentrating. "You're not Valkoor," he said.

In turn, the Ninth Legendary merely rolled his eyes. "Whatever. I've had enough of this."

"You're certainly powerful," Death went on as if he hadn't spoken. "But the aura around you suggests your first school being Death magic, not Black. You have the body of Valkoor, the same attitude, same raw power and hatred- but you're not."

Valkoor fumed at Death's words, and screamed hopelessly before running straight at Time once more-

Immediately Time swiftly cast a barrier around herself to deflect Valkoor's oncoming attack.

Ambrose, almost forgotten in the middle of the chaos. "Now! There isn't much time- we have to kill Valkoor or whoever he is right now!"

All of the Legendaries nodded, acknowledging the Force. They began summoning respective spells, and the reality of the odds began to crush Valkoor.

He would surely die unless he didn't do something, quick...

Embodiments of power began to seep out of Ambrise and each of the Legendaries- raw, destructive power. They were all fixated at one spot...

Vladimir's eyes bulged. This would be it- perhaps he would be defeated...

"AMBROSE!"

Immediately the Headmaster's head swung around to see the red-haired beauty which he loved, accompanied by a theurgist. He smiled warmly, to assure them that victory was practically in their grasp.

Valkoor was swift to see the opportunity. His focus shifted from the Legendaries to that woman...

A cruel smile split his face in half as he charged at inhuman speed toward her.

She continued gazing at him warmly and prodded him on to get the job done- that's when she saw the man quickly coming after her.

Ambrose gasped when he realized what was happening. Valkoor was quick, it was all so sudden-

It was too late for her to react, he was almost upon her...

The sound of a sword piercing through a body reasonated in the suddenly still air. Blood dripped to the ground-

Wait...

Amber realized that this wasn't her own.

The reality of what happened suddenly struck her hard. Tears welled up in her eyes, and she was speechless.

Headmaster Ambrose was in front of her, a sword through his heart.

All Amber Ambrose could do was stare in disbelief.

For that moment, time seemed suspended in midair, and nothing else mattered. Then all at once, as if a play button had been hit, events resumed.

Valkoor brutally tugged the sword out of Ambrose's chest in one fluid move, letting him slump to the ground. He would have done just that had not Amber caught him in time.

Then, just like that, stuff ascended slowly from his chest- they looked like light blue shards of ice or somewhat- and they slowly flew to Valkoor.

Amber breathed in heavily, doing all she could do to continue doing so- it were as if a helephant were standing smack dab on her chest.

"That was stupid," she whispered.

Ambrose chuckled, as if it were all some kind of easygoing joke. "Risky, yes. Foolish, absolutely. But it was an also an act of love- you do understand that, right?"

Amber reeled in a small gasp, caught aback by his words. Her eyes traveled up and down his slowly disintegrating body.

"You can't go," she whispered. "I'll lose a part of myself if you do."

"It's too late for that, dear," Redbeard's hand caressed her face softly. "What's done is done. I know- the Force will now be going to Valkoor."

"All the more stupid!" Amber wailed. "If he gets the Force instead of you…" she trailed off, her brain a mess and trying to pluck the right way to finish the sentence.

"He'll never be able to be defeated."

Ambrose shook his head reassuringly. "No. It may seem like the end- but don't worry. Consult Fire- she knows the way. It…" Ambrose sighed. "It was foolish of me to confront him when I knew it was a destiny belonging to someone else."

"S-someone else?" Amber asked. "Who is this person?"

Ambrose smiled. "That's just something you'll have to find out…" he gasped and laid his hand over his bloody chest. Amber understood it- placing his hand over his heart.

"I love you…"

Just like that, the hand fell from her cheek.

"_No_!"

* * *

><p>From a distance, Vladimir watched the scene.<p>

He shook his head rapidly, as if trying to clear his head. All of this death, now Ambrose… it was all because of him.

And now because of that, he had dispose of Valkoor. He had to do it right now- if he wasted even one second more, than his ancestor would have acquired the Force- he would be unstoppable.

Vladimir couldn't afford to watch the death any longer. He drew his sword and screamed bloody murder as he charged as fast as he could towards Valkoor.

Valkoor seemed to be actually taken aback. His eyes enlarged as Vladimir charged with everything in his being towards him. He was just about to cast a spell of some sort to instantly kill him-

Blood boiled in Vladimir's veins unmercifully as he drove the sword into Valkoor's heart.

Sweat lined Vladimir's face cruelly, and Vladimir was puffing out breaths. Pain seared in his knees at how fast he had run… he still couldn't believe…

Vladimir gasped when he heard it.

A chuckle.

A ruthless, brutal laugh.

Vladimir could barely dare his eyes at Valkoor. His face had been contorted into shock when he had ruthlessly stabbed him, but now it was slowly transfiguring into a cruel smile.

Aqua eyes darted down to his chest-

Vladimir gasped. Wha…

Vladimir hadn't even drawn his sword out and already Valkoor's wound was starting to heal.

He looked up at Valkoor, who was just shaking his head slowly in disbelief as he got the sword out of his chest as if it were nothing.

"I'll admit, that took guts," Valkoor remarked as the wound began to close, the flesh retracting together. "So I'll give ya props for being brave. I shouldn't expect anything less- you are my descendant, after all."

Valkoor shrugged, than Vladimir noticed something- when he had begun charging Valkoor, there had been these shards reminiscent of broken ice floating up to him. Now there were no more.

"Oh, so you've noticed?" Valkoor asked curiously. "Well, that's right."

The Ninth Legendary closed his eyes and inhaled deeply, as if there wasn't a problem in the world. "It's a very nice feeling when you have the Force, you know. It's like you can do anything- because you can."

Valkoor's eyes suddenly exploded open. "Which is why, my pitiful Vladimir, it was so foolish to just run at me like that with the intent to kill me."

Vladimir's shoulders sagged in disbelief. His lower lip dropped open, and he felt as if his insides were going to come together.

No…

"And you know the more shocking thing?" Valkoor proceeded. "The thing is, had you not been so hesitant, had you just been a fraction of a second earlier- I think you would have succeeded."

That was it.

Holder of the Force or not, Vladimir wanted to give this guy a serious beating. So, impulsively, Vladimir ground his teeth together and threw himself at Valkoor.

Valkoor easily blocked an attempted stab by Vladimir with a sword Vladimir could have sworn he didn't have earlier. The same iridescent blue shards seemed to form together to make a sharp blade. The blade itself was a blood red, and although it didn't seem very heavy, the blade was long enough for Valkoor to stab someone three feet away with ease.

"I see you're impressed," Valkoor noted. "I'll admit, I am too. A sword truly befitting a Legendary, or am I wrong?"

Vladimir said nothing.

This only seemed to amuse Valkoor even more. "Do you not have anything to say?" he asked, tilting his head in curiosity. "Are you so awed by me that you cannot speak, or are you merely dumb?"

Vladimir smirked. "Yeah, I guess I do have something to say," he seethed slowly. "And that's that by the blood of the Headmaster, I will defeat you. Even if you have the Force, even if I originally had the intent to bring you back, no matter what, I'll kill you!"

Valkoor remained unimpressed by Vladimir's little speech. "Well then. Do that, will you?"

Vladimir nodded, his turn to smile cruelly. "I will."

As if those two words alone were a trigger, Vladimir lunged at him again, a lunge Valkoor was quick to block. Vladimir was unfazed- he quickly attempted another jab underneath the blade, aimed at the stomach. Valkoor combated this just in time- but wasn't able to combat a swift roundhouse kick.

That alone was enough to trip him, giving Vladimir a small ounce of satisfaction. But he wasn't done yet. In fact, he hadn't even gotten started.

Vladimir flipped his sword so it was facing the ground and was just about to dig it into Valkoor's body- had not Valkoor rolled out of the way in time.

"All you got?" Valkoor snarled.

Vladimir shook his head. "Nowhere near," he assured as he lifted his blade so it came up to about his shoulder and took a battle stance.

Despite the weariness, despite the odds, Vladimir felt... _alive_. He felt more pumped than he ever had been in combating the Order of the Spiral, almost more energized than when he had seen Llewella for the first time in years.

Vladimir smiled. This was chance, and he knew it. He remembered Ambrose's words- _"I knew nothing good would come out of a Descendant of Valkoor."  
><em>

_This time, it will,_ Vladimir vowed.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: I love that part. :D 'Cause Vladimir's good now! YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY! You guys seriously have no idea how much I love that guy. . .**

**So read, review (seriously, do it. I've been seriously lacking in them lately, but I don't want to sound whiny by begging for them) and stay tuned. There's another chapter coming tomorrow, and that is going to leave off on a CLIFFHANGER. Can't wait.**

**OH. Almost forgot.**

**IMPORTANT: THE SEQUEL TO THE NECROMANCER'S MATTER, THE LAST THEURGIST, IS NOW OFFICIALLY UP ON FANFICTION. CHECK IT OUT. Even if you haven't finished TNM, that's okay, because it's pretty loosely connected. Just read it. REAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAD IIIIIIIIIIIT. Read my precious TLT! (Okay, now I'm starting to sound like Gollum. . . I'm just gonna wrap up this author's note before it gets worse. . .)**


	30. Part 12 TBotE P2 Revival Part 3

_The Necromancer's Matter, Part 12; The Beginning of the End, Part 2; Revival (Part 3)_

"Now we just have to find Chris, then we'll be able to reunite with Jason and the others, and set off to defeat Valkoor once and for all!" Ryan cheered.

Destiny smiled somewhat. "Perhaps. Just don't get too overconfident, Ryan. After all, this is full-out war now."

Ryan immediately lost his momentary cocky demeanor. Instead of protesting, he merely shifted his focus to what was ahead of him.

"Yeah. Right."

Still, the rest were encouraged by Ryan's words as they plowed through any combatants. Despite all the battling, it wasn't long before they found Chris.

But by the time they had found him, Destiny had gotten slashed on the shoulder by a helephant, Cody was gritting his teeth as he suffered some kind of pain- he wouldn't say what it was- and one of Natalie's fingers had broken. But her breaking her arm in Thorn Manor helped her through the pain.

"Yay! Chris!" Natalie cheered. The insides of her body brimming with happiness, she ran up to the Descendant of Myth and threw her arms around him.

Ryan groaned. "Natalie, off!" He ripped his older sister off of Chris. "We can't waste any more time!"

Chris chuckled darkly. "Speaking of which, you could have made loads better timing."

"Hey, at least we were able to get to you in one piece!" Destiny argued.

"True. But look all around us."

Destiny did as told- and immediately paled.

For all around them, there were many wizards around them, gathering together like they had at the time Vladimir had given Ryan a wedgie and Destiny had stood up for him.

Only these guys wore armor and were ready to kill.

Ryan swore. "Great, now what are we going to do?"

"Simple!" Natalie replied cheerfully, as if she were at a slumber party instead of surrounded by a bunch of wizards. "We fight!"

Destiny smiled at Natalie's eagerness. She gripped the Blade of Seven as if she were trying to pour all her strength into it, trying not show that her entire body was shaking with the fact that she could be killed any second.

Not that it matters, she reminded herself. After all, there is the Prophecy of Fire- you're gonna die today anyways!

Destiny's knuckles began to turn purple from gripping it so hard. She inhaled a deep breath, focusing her mind on Natalie's words. She was right- they had to fight.

There didn't seem to be any other way they could survive.

In the spur of the moment, Destiny gave a sharp yell, alerting the other members and charged straightforward.

Immediately she clashed with another necromancer, using the Blade of Seven to lunge at him- he combated the move with his own sword. With a burst of strength she lifted the sword up and broke free of the lock. She lunged again- another block. Stab, block, stab, block, stab, block.

Destiny gritted her teeth. This, just an ordinary sword, was fashioned by the Legendaries and named the most powerful weapon in the Spiral?

Wait- a spell. Perhaps it didn't mean by physical combat it was powerful...

The magus pulled her sword from the lock and swiftly began drafting a spell. In response, the Death symbol wove into the air at a rapid pace, and Destiny barely had to activate it to reveal-

A wraith?!

Destiny stared at this while the necromancer stared at the wraith, his eyes goggling out of its sockets. How did she cast a wraith? She wasn't even a master yet...

The most powerful weapon in the Spiral.

Destiny grinned. Perhaps those guys were right-

A pained scream shattered her joyous thoughts.

She swiveled around, curious to what the scream was for- and immediately any color in her face melted...

* * *

><p>Valkoor lunged at Vladimir again, the latter of who was which was swift to block again.<p>

Vladimir gritted his teeth. Now ancestor and descendant had been fighting for what seemed like hours- it was probably no more than ten minutes, but it did not feel that way at all.

A smile tugged at Valkoor's lips. "I'll admit- you're decent at this." Valkoor then broke their lock and backflipped.

"Like ancestor, like descendant," Vladimir said simply before charging straight at Valkoor.

"Exactly," Valkoor replied. "So why don't you just give up? Perhaps I'll even be merciful enough to spare your life."

For a moment, Vladimir actually thought about it. To spare his life... then he could find Neela. Perhaps he could get himself and Llewella out in time, live comfortably at Thorn Manor-

And let the Spiral fall in the process? He wouldn't save himself and let it fall.

But letting it fall to save Llewella could be a different matter entirely.

Valkoor chuckled when he saw Vladimir froze. "Wow. I can't believe you actually fell for that. Now you'll pay the price for your stupidity."

Vladimir drew in a sharp gasp in surprise. Oh crap...

He held his sword out in front of him to defend himself, but he was too late. Valkoor was already upon him-

Vladimir winced. I'm sorry I failed, he apolgized to everyone-

Shink!

The sword had gone through someone's body- but it wasn't his.

It had gone through Llewella's.

* * *

><p>Llewella couldn't exactly describe the feeling she had had. Witnissing Amber vowing to protect her husband and Redbeard sacrificing his life for her... it all confused her, yet amazed her at the same time. They had so much in them... they would actually die to let someone else live? To give up their life for someone... that was a lot.<p>

But suddenly it didn't feel like a lot when she had seen that Valkoor dude come down upon her brother.

Llewella's mouth contorted into a soundless scream and, without thinking, raced to Valkoor and Vladimir as if her life depended on it- and at the last moment thrust herself between them. In turn, an electric, blinding pain raced through her chest.

"What... LLEWELLA!"

Valkoor chuckled. "Aw, how heroic." He extracted the blade from her chest. Llewella felt herself falling down...

She hit the ground quickly, and before she knew it, Vladimir clogged her vision.

"Llewella," he breathed. "No... why did you..."

The novice theurgist smiled. "Relax, big brother. It was my choice... to die in your place."

Vladimir stared at her as if she had suddenly grown extra arms. "Why? I had intended to do that instead-"

Llewella was hardly listening. Because now a figure was slowly materializing- a woman with long, smooth blonde hair and aqua eyes, just like her and Vladimir. Her heart-shaped face accented this perfectly... she was beautiful.

"Vladimir... who is she? The woman behind you."

The woman smiled as Vladimir frowned. His head shot back behind him, but it quickly looked back to Llewella. "Who? I don't see her. What does she look like?"'

She continued to smile, and waved at the two siblings. Now Llewella could see that she looked pale... was she a ghost? Someone of her own imagination?

"Blonde hair, blue eyes. She looks a bit like us, and is pretty..."

Vladimir paled. "Wait a minute... Rowan Thorn? Mom?"

It all made sense then. How she looked like them, the ghostly complexion...

Rowan Thorn smiled and stretched her hand towards Llewella and prodded her on, not saying anything more.

Vladimir shook his head rapidly, unwilling to believe this. No... if their Mom was here... and if Llewella could see her...

"No! Llewella, you're not going to die! Hang in there!"

It was Llewella's turn to shake her head. "It's too late... to change anything..."

Energy slowly seeped away from her, and Llewella clung to that remaining life desperately. Vladimir needed her... but there wasn't much she could do about it, huh?

Better to accept it willingly than to fight it.

"Bye Vladimir. See ya soon."

Her vision slowly closed around her, and Llewella felt herself slipping away...

* * *

><p><strong>AN: I apologize for the shortness, but I REALLLLLYYYYYY wanted to leave off on that note. And for those who haven't read TNM before, in case it wasn't clear, Llewella did indeed pass away.**

**With luck, the final bit of Part 12 should be up tomorrow.**


	31. Part 12 TBotE P2 Revival Part 4

_The Necromancer's Matter, Part 12; The Beginning of the End, Part 2; Revival (Part 4)_

"All right, time for you to answer my questions."

The Legendary Fire whipped around, her flamboyant yellow-streaked red hair curling around in the wind to see Amber Ambrose.

Fire smiled kindly. "What kind of answers?"

"I want to know how my husband was killed with the Force in him, but Valkoor wasn't."

Fire chuckled. "Oh, yes- that matter. Simple- Valkoor couldn't be killed just because he had the Force. You can be killed with the Force inside you, as demonstrated by Redbeard Ambrose."

"So why couldn't Valkoor be killed?"

"That's easy- Valkoor was revived. If someone is revived- you can't be killed again."

Amber shook her head greivously. "So that's it, than. He's won. He can't be killed."

"Not necessarily- there is actually someone who can kill him. But just one person- if she can gather the courage."

"Gather the courage? Why would this person need to be 'gathering courage' to kill Valkoor?"

Fire sighed, realizing this would take her a long time. "When performing the ritual Vladimir did- it's not actually bringing that said person back to life. It's a matter of projecting your soul into the said body-"

"Hence Valkoor was not actually Valkoor," Amber breathed, remembering Redbeard's words.

"Exactly. There's a different soul in there- now, normally, all hope would be lost. But here's the funny thing- earlier, that life was split into two. She... she actually switched her school from Fire to Death, splitting her soul in the process. And now, only one half, the Death part, is in there while the Fire part of her remains living. So now that girl has the chance to eradicate that half of her soul, eradicating Valkoor- but take her own life in the process."

Amber's eyes widened at this revelation, and Fire walked briskly ahead of her. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I must meet up with her."

Amber struggled with this for a moment, than finally found courage to speak. "W-Wait a moment! Who is this girl?"

Fire stopped.

"I... I was foolish. The Pure Descendant, the girl of Death and Fire... for a time, I thought her name was Destiny Seagem. She seemed to be born for that purpose- to kill Valkoor and kill herself in the process, or to let herself live and let the Spiral fall. Then, through time, a new candidate arose... and now, with the recent turn of events, I realize that it is not Destiny who was meant to die."

Amber arched an eyebrow, wanting to get past all of the dramatic stuff. "Than who is it?"

The second Legendary turned her head a bit, allowing Amber to see a small smile creeping across her face.

"Neela Waterpetal."

* * *

><p>Destiny's eyes widened and her mouth dropped open. Time seemed to slow down as an effect of one of Time's spells.<p>

She didn't even pay attention as the Blade of Seven fell down to the ground with a clatter.

The fighting wizards that surrounded them began to part from them, uneasy suddenly. They glanced at another nervously, trying to find the one who had done it. Even if it wasn't them, she could tell that they all felt guilty…

Jessica and Cody restrained tears, Chris shed a few tears, and Natalie was screaming her head off in grief…

Over Ryan Stormcaster, blood pooling up in his chest.

Nothing could be heard in Destiny's ears, in no one's ears. Everything was crumbling down, if Ryan…

"Ryan?" Natalie barely managed through many tears. "Ryan? P-please, stay with me, no, no, you're not going to leave me…"

He didn't respond.

Natalie gave a few more sobs, closing her eyes. It was so strange to see her like this, to see the normally energetic master diviner, well, crying.

And even more abnormal to see their sergeant in a bloody mess, on the verge of death. If not already dead.

Natalie lifted her head up to the sky. "How could you do this to us?!" she shrieked at no one in particular. "IT'S NOT FAIR!"

She quit her crying when the form she was holding coughed.

* * *

><p>For the longest few moments, Vladimir was stunned. He couldn't move. How could he?<p>

He felt as if his heart was being forcefully ripped from his chest-

"Tut tut. Such a shame- she didn't have to die, you know. You could have just stayed quiet, and this would have never happened. You seem so grieved, I feel sort of tempted to spare your life. But I won't."

Vladimir began shivering as if he had hypothermia, not responding.

Yes. He could have stayed quiet, Llewella could have never died. But he didn't stay quiet, and Llewella did place her life in front of his. She did her part-

It was time to do his.

Llewella's death forced him to slowly rise to one knee, then to the other. There was no turning back now- he would defeat Valkoor Thorn. He would do it personally.

Vladimir spun on his heels, and before he knew it, a death spell was being cast in front of him. He wasn't doing it, yet it was his. What was happening-

The symbol released, and as a result many weathered bones dropped to the floor in front of him.

No one moved for a moment, staring at the bones to see what had been cast-

Then the bones suddenly began piecing themselves together, pushing dust in both Vladimir and Valkoor's eyes. By the count of four, the bones had all pieced themselves together in a skeletal dragon.

Valkoor raised his eyebrows. "Hmm. A spell worthy of the Legendaries," he spoke casually as if they didn't want to kill each other. "I have to admit, that was pretty good. Of course, you are my most powerful descendant to have lived, so why should I have expected less from you?"

His words didn't come the slightest bit close to Vladimir. Vladimir wouldn't have praise from that monster of an ancestor, now.

As if expressing his very distaste, the skeletal dragon reared back, flapped his wings a bit, then spewed a cloud of smoke straight at Valkoor.

The smoke gathered around him, and Vladimir could hear screams of pain.

Vladimir's eyes widened. The smoke was lethal?

It is if he's screaming in pain, he reminded himself.

The dragon didn't let up. Smoke and more smoke poured out of its mouth, firing down on Valkoor Thorn like some sort of hailstorm of smoke.

Grueling seconds passed as Vladimir heard the screams of Valkoor. Part of him was satisfied- Valkoor deserved this. He deserved so much more than this. Yet another part of him sympathized with him- after all, Valkoor was his ancestor, his blood family.

Once again the skeletal dragon seemed to sense Vladimir's thoughts. At last he snapped his bony jaw shot, the abrupt clank of it sending shivers down Vladimir.

The dragon turned around to him, then lowered it's head.

Vladimir stared at it, stunned. It was… wanting Vladimir to get on him?

Then the smoke cleared up, revealing Valkoor.

Apparently the smoke had been much more deadly than Vladimir had initially thought. Now part of Valkoor's face was boiling a lava red, and a swelled amber eye twitched. Scraps of black clothing were now scattered about randomly at his feet, and a lot of the skin that showed up due to the ripped clothing was charred and burned. Speckles of black was dotted around the skin as well, and much blood plunged to the ground.

Vladimir instinctively took a step back, horrified. Just the sight of this Valkoor was terrifying, straight from a nightmare.

A chuckle emerged out of Valkoor- a one that froze Vladimir in his place.

"Well, this is a new look," he seethed menacingly. "I don't think I'm recognizable as the Ninth Legendary now... no matter. Perhaps I should... take a new identity. One that would suit this well."

Vladimir needed no more motivation. He was smart enough to know that he had to get out of there and he had to get out of there fast. So he didn't think twice when leaping onto the skeletal dragon.

Valkoor was uninterested by the fleeing Vladimir. He simply closed his eyes, his body brimming with evil magic as the charred skin began to take over the rest of his body. Bit by bit, something that could only be called a deformed set of wings sprouted out of his back.

The Force... was it changing Valkoor into this? Something hideous?

Once Vladimir was settled onto the dragon's back, he shook in fear as he anxiously spurred the skeletal dragon on.

"Perhaps this is good," Valkoor was growing more and more fond of this. "I think I was beginning to grow bored of my title anyways."

Where could Vladimir go? Who could he trust? He needed newfound people on his side-

But who would trust him? After all of his past mistakes, who would dare ally with Vladimir?

Neela. He had to find Neela- and perhaps, if he couldn't find her, the Order.

The skeletal dragon was now fifteen feet in the air. Good- the farther from Valkoor, the better.

But the height didn't stop Vladimir from hearing Valkoor's words. "Yes... Valkoor Thorn, the Ninth Legendary and the Dragon Titan. I like that."

Valkoor than laughed- but it wasn't his amused, dangerous one. It was a new, insane and ballistic laugh. He bent over to allow new extended, midnight-black nails to rake the ground, piercing the air with a deafening screech, like a chalk being cruelly drawn on a chalkboard.

"I feel it- I am much more powerful in this form. So much power swelling inside me... my thanks to you, Vladimir Thorn!"

* * *

><p>All of their eyes quickly fled to Ryan's form- who was beginning to stir.<p>

Then their eyes fled to Jessica, one knee on the ground, panting as if she had just run across the entire Spiral and back.

"Sacrifice…" Jessica panted.

Destiny's eyes widened. Of course…

Shakily, she reached down and picked up the Blade of Seven again. The Sacrifice spell in mind, she visualized the Death insignia forming in the air, and quickly enough it did as she bid. The insignia broke off-

Immediately she felt as if her heart was being crudely ripped from her chest. She had lost as much energy as she would have giving multiple pints of blood to someone- which is what she well just did.

As a result, Destiny fell to the ground, as if strings on her body suddenly yanked on her with brute force. She barely caught herself with her palms, panting.

Seeing the actions of the other two necromancers motivated Cody to take out his own wand, carve the Death insignia- and within a matter of seconds he was looking just as exhausted as Jessica and Destiny were. This probably wasn't good, being in the middle of battle-

But it worth it.

Natalie's eyes grew as Ryan stirred, color slowly returning to his face. "Oh my gosh… is he… alive?" Natalie said the word reluctantly, as if saying it would take this all back.

A new voice joined them. "Yes, but it looks like he's just barely so."

Destiny whirled on her heels-

Vladimir.

She, along with everyone else, froze. They didn't know what to do- what was he here for? To finish them off?

But she wouldn't let him do anything more- Ryan's life hung in the balance.

Without thinking, she charged straight at Vladimir. She screamed as she thrust the Blade of Seven straight at him- Vladimir merely sidestepped her, resulting in her stumbling over her own hastening steps.

This didn't perturb Destiny. She scrambled back up on her feet, looking as if she was ready for battle and could beat him within a matter of seconds- but she couldn't. She was much too tired.

But, of course, she couldn't let that scumbag know that, right?

To her curiosity, Vladimir just stood there, holding his hands in the air, sword on the ground.

Destiny tilted her head. What the…

"What are you doing, just standing there?!" Jessica yelled at Destiny. "If you don't quickly make a move, then I'll go there myself- and so will Cody! Right?"

Cody quickly nodded in agreement.

"Here's the thing," Vladimir hurried. "I'm not here to fight. I'm here to get help."

"Um, yeah. Like you're getting any help from us," Jessica scoffed.

Vladimir slapped his palm on his face. "I need you guys to help me defeat Valkoor Thorn!" he blurted.

There were multiple reactions to Vladimir's claim. Jessica's face briefly showed surprise, but contorted back to her unwavering hostility. Cody lifted his eyebrows slightly. Chris, Natalie and Destiny's eyes all widened.

Chris was the first to speak. "Why would you need help defeating the very being you resurrected?"

Destiny nodded in agreement.

Vladimir took a deep breath. "Valkoor… he, Chris, you were my friend once, do you remember my sister? Llewella Thorn?"

The name didn't mean anything to Destiny, Natalie or the other necromancers, but a flash of recognition at the name burned in Chris's eyes. "Yes… your sister, right? She was a really sweet girl-"

"Valkoor killed her."

Chris's breath stopped, eyes widening once again. "I thought she disa-"

"She came back. And now she's dead. She died saving me."

Chris's eyes flocked from Vladimir, to Natalie and Ryan, to Vladimir, and back to the Storm Siblings, trying to discern where exactly where his place was.

Destiny probably would have been doing that, but she knew where her place was.

The girl of Death and Fire…

She understood now. It was her fate to kill Valkoor Thorn and save the Spiral. Sure, it would cost her her life, but if she didn't do it, there wouldn't be a Spiral to live in.

Destiny grimaced, trying to convince herself that waltzing to her death was a perfectly good idea. And furthermore, she couldn't have anymore people ending up like Ryan.

The necromancer turned to Ryan's form in Natalie's hands. "Is he okay?" Destiny ventured.

Natalie winced. "I don't know. Certainly in a better condition thanks to your efforts, but the question on whether or not he'll live is still up there."

"Then I'll do it again." Jessica brought out her wand again, prepared to make another Sacrifice, but Natalie earnestly shook her head before she got the chance.

"No," Natalie said. "Ryan's already in a critical condition. If you do this again, you'll be in a critical condition as well. We can't afford to lose any more lives- plus there is a chance he'll survive."

Destiny was listening, but just barely. She kept looking back to Vladimir, debating with herself on whether or not Vladimir's words stood true.

The logical answer was to not believe him. Many villains in stories she had read had gotten their way through a matter of deceiving and lying, and Vladimir was no different. But there was something to him- the hollowness in his voice, the aqua blue eyes moister than ever, and the white knuckles- that suggested something completely different.

Destiny drew in a deep breath. "I'll go with you," she volunteered.

Already Vladimir's muscles were beginning to relax.

"Same here," Chris ventured. "I'll-"

Destiny quickly shook her head. "No," she said hastily. "People need to make sure that Ryan's okay-"

"People need to make sure Valkoor is killed."

"And I've got that down! I-I'm going to kill him, all right? There's no need to worry."

For a few seconds, Destiny was sure that Chris would toss aside her words, but apparently there was something in her voice that made Chris reluctantly nod.

"You better make sure of that," Chris finally said.

"I will," Destiny replied, determination filling her voice and grief crinkling the edges.

Vladimir gestured with his hand to follow him, and it was then that Destiny could see an enormous dragon- a skeletal dragon, as if Vladimir had resurrected that as well.

Vladimir didn't take his eyes off the dragon as he hoisted himself up on it, already quite familiar with it. He stretched out a hand to Destiny to join him as well. Shaking, she accepted it.

Destiny looked to the five other Order members once she was on the dragon. She didn't any of them go with her because, one, Ryan did need help.

The second reason was because she couldn't bear for them to watch her die in front of their eyes.

Destiny chose her words carefully, fully aware that these would be her last.

"You… all of you… it was a pleasure doing service with you. I enjoyed all of it- fighting, being with you guys… thank you for all you've done for me. And I'm sorry."

The dragon took to the air before anyone could respond.

Vladimir looked over to her curiously as the dragon began to soar over the battlefield. "What was that about?" he asked curiously.

Destiny gulped, fighting tears down fiercely.

"It's nothing."

Vladimir studied her for a few moments, refusing to take his eyes off her. In an effort to avoid feeling awkward, Destiny stared into the distance.

She should have reacted when she saw that she and Vladimir were well hundreds of feet above the ground. The height and just being with Vladimir should have scared her- but just thinking about what was to come forced any emotion down.

"You mentioned your sister died," Destiny finally brought up emotionlessly. "Jessica, Cody and I performed the Sacrifice spell to save Ryan- why didn't you?"

It was Vladimir's turn to look away. "I- I didn't know that Llewella was going to die. I knew that she needed treatment, and that her wound was serious- but not that she would actually go. By the time I realized this, it was too late."

Vladimir took a deep breath. "And besides- I guess… I want her back. I really do. But somehow, I know that it was her time, and I did the right thing by… by… letting- letting…"

He didn't bother to finish the sentence, leaving Destiny appalled. This was Vladimir? Sure, his sister had died, but the Vladimir she knew would grind his teeth together, tough it out, and get angry or something.

But now she could see that he actually had a loving side to him- one that he had never had the chance to reveal.

Destiny closed her emerald eyes softly, letting the breeze ruffle her ponytailed midnight-black hair. This was it- her last few seconds of life.

Was she proud of it? After all, most people just grew old and died. Here or there they were murdered or got sick, sometimes they even committed suicide. But to sacrifice oneself so everyone could live…

A small smile crawled on her face despite herself. Yes, Destiny supposed that perhaps out of all of the options of dying, this was the best one. At least she got that?

Especially sacrificing that life so everyone else in the Spiral could live.

Destiny opened her eyes, her pupils sternly focused on the Dragonspyre horizon.

* * *

><p>Neela Waterpetal looked around her, thoroughly examining the blood, carnage and war.<p>

There had now been a heavy death count. And Headmaster Redbeard Ambrose… Neela had overheard that he had died, protecting Amber.

Against what?

Against Valkoor Thorn, her ancestor. Well, one of them.

Neela had always known she was a Pure Descendant. Neela knew it long before she encountered- and survived- the Ordeal just now. But she had refused to accept it almost as much as she didn't want to accept being placed in Fire.

Neela had wanted to switch to Death. Badly. And, eventually, somehow, something inside her clicked in her final showdown with Oran, Ally and Galen. She had transformed from a Fire Apprentice- to a Death Apprentice.

Her Death Side overpowered her Fire Side completely. But ever since Valkoor rose from the dead, it seemed to be fading. So now she was no longer a Death Grandmaster- now she was a Fire Grandmaster.

A bloodcurling scream from the battlefield woke Neela to her senses. In that instant she saw a noble journeyman thautamerge drop to the ground, dead.

Neela shut her eyes tightly, tears leaking from her eyelids. Why had she ever thought Valkoor would be a leader? She, Vladimir- so stupid! Now she envied Cody for coming to his sense beforehand and leaving.

"You need to stop him."

A sudden voice jolted into Neela, forcing her to spin around to see Fire.

"How do you think I'd be able to stop him?" Neela questioned. "The only people capable of stopping him-" Neela looked to the crimson Dragonspyre sky, "Vladimir! Destiny! You two need to together kill Valkoor Thorn before it's too late!"

Fire shook her head, exhausted. "No, Neela- you need to stop him."

Neela looked to Fire again. "But Vladimir was the one who got the idea of bringing Valkoor back to life! Vladimir did the Ritual-"

"And in a desperate act, you finished it," Fire explained. "If Vladimir had indeed finished the Ritual- well, he wouldn't have lived to see another day. There wouldn't have been a flicker of hope for the Spiral. Had Cody or even Destiny finished it, neither of them would have survived the effect either and the Spiral would be lost."

"So why didn't I die?" Neela asked.

"At the end of the Ritual," Fire began, "what happens is actually Valkoor is not revived. There is no possible magic, try as Death might, that can bring someone back to life. What happens is that the caster actually ejects his or her soul into the body. So if Vladimir or any other Descendant of Valkoor Thorn had done it, they would have ejected their soul completely. But since you did it- once you changed schools, you actually cut your soul in half. So when you completed the Ritual, you didn't die because only half of you is inside Valkoor. Your Death Half is now in Valkoor's body, I am speaking to your Fire Half."

The idea of part of you being inside another body made Neela's stomach shrivel up, and bile rose up her throat. She took a step back in horror, unwilling to believe what Fire had described.

"But," Fire continued, "since you did it, there's still hope for the Spiral. There's a way to defeat Valkoor- or your Death Half, whichever you want to call it. But you have to do exactly what I say, and only you can do it. Vladimir can't do it, Cody can't do it, and even though she's a Pure Descendant as well, Destiny can't do it. Although we actually had thought she'd be the one-"

"Thought Destiny would be the one to do what?" Neela questioned, arching an eyebrow.

Fire tucked a tangled strand of red behind her ear as she explained. "One of the last lines of the Prophecy, my Prophecy- we thought that role belonged to Destiny Seagem. She fit all qualifications easily, practically born for it. But when you switched schools, you became a contender, also fitting the lines. And now that you've ejected half of your soul into Valkoor-"

Neela didn't want to listen to Fire- she believed her, but at the same time, she couldn't- like that made any sense.

"Give me proof that I've actually done this," Neela suddenly demanded, crossing her arms defiantly.

Fire scratched the back of her neck, anxious to get everything over with. "You've seen Valkoor on the battlefield, correct?"

"Correct."

"Surely you've noticed that he has amber eyes. Back in those days, his eye color wasn't amber. It was a bloody crimson. The amber he has now- Neela, that's your amber. The same exact shade."

Neela's breathing automatically stopped. She digested this, turning it over in her brain slowly and forcing herself to accept that she was the one who caused all of this mayhem-

And would be the one to make it right.

Neela ground her teeth together determinedly. "What do I have to do?"

"It's simple- kill Valkoor. Only spells made by you will touch him. But there's a catch."

Neela had a feeling that she wasn't going to like this catch.

Fire continued before Neela had a chance to speak."Light and darkness cannot exist- one must have the other to survive. In order to kill Valkoor- who would be, in this sense, the evil one- then you'll have to kill off the good part as well in order to maintain balance."

The Legendary forced herself to meet Neela's eyes. "And that good part would be you."

Neela didn't even think about it- right as Fire unleashed those words she was shaking her head.

"N-No. No. No, no, no, no- n-n-n-n-NO!" Neela began backing away from Fire slowly, her bloodstream racing up and down. Her heart hammered against her chest, and her eyes bulged so widely, knees knocking against her so badly that she tripped over her own steps.

"I don't want to die!" Neela yelled as she picked herself up into a sitting position. "I can't die, I have several things I have to do before I die…"

Neela couldn't continue. All she could do was put her knees to her chest, and her head on her knees, and let out many tears.

Even though she wasn't looking up, Neela could feel the rare sympathetic feeling of Fire's lively, flaming eyes they cast on her. "

"I hate to be the one to break the news to you-"

"Yeah," Neela's voice shook in a flurry of passionate rage and sorrowful agony. "You, you, you, YOU! What about me?! You're not being required to give up your life! I… my Death Half- made so many mistakes, mistakes that I want to put behind me. And the only way I can put them behind me is if I make them up- if I don't die!"

Fire winced at the harsh words. "I'm sorry," she said quickly. "I'm sorry for everything- especially for the kind of thing that this situation is calling for. But listen- if these demands are not fulfilled, than Neela Waterpetal, there will be no Spiral to live in. Either way, you will die within the next twenty-four hours. Death is inevitable. The question is, how do we die? Do we cry and whimper as we're slowly dragged towards the endless bottom? Or do we stand up, take a deep breath, and face it courageously? Many do the first."

Fire's words slowly connected to Neela's brain. Bit by bit the tears stopped, the muscles relaxed and the breaths returned to normal patterns.

So she would die, huh? Actually die- she wouldn't wake up again, enjoy the day blissfully as she always would have done…

"Neela. You said you wanted to make up for your mistake. By sacrificing yourself, this is the ultimate repayment for your mistakes. This chance is offered to you- now, are you going to accept it?"

Would she accept it? She certainly didn't want to. But she had to listen to reason- whether she liked it or not, she had to do it. She had to die.

Before she could stop herself, Neela dethatched her body and stood up slowly. Fire still continued to look at her sympathetically as her body still shook madly, as if suffering in a blizzard clothed in nothing but a swimming suit.

Light and dark… ultimate repayment…

Fire's words harshly stung into her yet again. Do we cry and whimper as we're slowly dragged towards the endless bottom? Or do we stand up, take a deep breath, and face it courageously?

Just like that, Neela stopped shaking. Her eyelids drifted shut, and she curled her fingers in an attempt to settle her body. She took multiple deep, mental breaths…

Well, I suppose this is it, isn't it? Neela's conscience attempted. The thought didn't make her feel any better, or make her feel any more prepared of what was to come, but it did brutally shove her into opening her eyes to reveal a hard, steely amber and forced out the next words.

"Tell me what I have to do."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Yeah, I know I said I'd post this earlier, but I got pretty dang busy. Everything as of late has just been. . . ugh. Just ugh.**

**But anyways, that wraps up Part 12. And the very last chapter, Part 13, will be posted tomorrow and the word 'complete' will mark TNM. Then it'll be time to start catching up to the Last Theurgist. And this chapter _will_ be posted tomorrow- how do I know? I have absolutely nothing else going on tomorrow, for once. I can't exactly guarantee a time, but yeah.**

**Stay tuned for the next update! 'Cause it'll be the last!**


	32. Part 13 Legendary

A/N: Well, this is it.

Thank you for sticking with me and my overactive imagination to the end. Seriously- it's been great. Now, I hope you enjoy the finale. :)

* * *

><p><em>The Necromancer's Matter, Part 13; Legendary<em>

Their destination was in sight. Gradually the skeletal dragon lowered to the bloodstained ground, the force of it's beating wings sending vibrations through her bones.

Destiny turned to Vladimir. "I take it we're here?"

Vladimir just nodded, refusing to say much more.

Taking Vladimir's word for it, Destiny looked around furthermore for Valkoor Thorn.. Where was he...

It wasn't hard to spot a sick, mutated thing along the way.

The thing looked like a cross between a human and a dragon. It was, for the most part, in a human shape, but that's all that there was familiar about it. Wings covered in a gross substance protruded out of it's back, and it's skin was a mutated light red with spots of darker red and black visible. Talons unfurled from bulky fingers, and large amber eyes scanned around pointedly. And it looked to be around ten feet tall.

Destiny took a deep breath. "Don't tell me that's..." she couldn't finish the sentence.

Vladimir nodded. "It is."

Destiny scanned Valkoor, looking for any kind of weaknesses that she could possibly use to her advantage. After all, she was the one who was supposed to defeat this thing, right?

Let's see... he was huge, so perhaps agility might work, although she'd have to go fast. He was looking around a bunch, looking for anything that might stand in his way-

Although he wasn't noticing them.

Quickly a half of a plan flashed in Destiny's mind. Before she could assess it, she stood up, bent her knees, and dove off the dragon.

Vladimir's eyes nearly became the size of Valkoor himself. "What the- Destiny!"

For a few moments, she was weightless save the Blade of Seven repeatedly whacking her hip as a result of the air currents.

The next moment she had a pain rippling through her arms and legs from the impact of landing on Valkoor.

She wasted no time. Destiny picked herself up and drew the Blade of Seven, which, along with her landing on his shoulder, averted his attention to her.

Thinking on her feet, Destiny twirled the Blade of Seven in her hands so it was facing downwards, and plunged it straight into Valkoor's shoulder.

Valkoor gritted his teeth as Destiny made sure to twist it for extra effect. He growled unearthly at the nuisance, and swiped his hand across his shoulder to get rid of her.

Destiny's eyes widened once she saw that hand nearly the size of her own body come towards her. Knowing that she had to quickly avoid it or get seriously injured, she released her grip on the Blade of Seven, still in Valkoor's shoulder, and flung herself off his shoulder.

Airborne again, Destiny quickly looked for a way to get onto Valkoor's body. Perhaps a leg...

She twisted her body so it was facing Valkoor's leg, and maneuvered her body so it got closer and closer to Valkoor-

Her efforts failed. As a result, Destiny hit the ground facedown, and she heard a sickening crack and red liquid edge into her sights.

Destiny screamed at the vicious pain searing through her veins. Despite this, she knew that she had to defeat Valkoor- even if she had to die.

She took a deep breath and picked herself back up despite the pain. Right when she stood up her legs faltered, but Destiny forced herself to steady them. Her nose, given the pain also stemming from that and the crack she had heard earlier... it was broken, wasn't it?

No matter. She had to go on.

Narrowing her eyes, Destiny began to run, slowly at first, but quickly began to pick up pace once Valkoor's foot was nearer. And thanks to the quick pace, she was able to make a decently high jump and get onto Valkoor's leg.

Valkoor growled at the sight of her climbing his leg in an attempt to get up there and hurt him. He had a feeling that he had to get rid of her, and fast-

Wait a minute. The aura around her- a radiant, clean one. It was heralding that she was a Pure Descendant-

Valkoor froze. This meant not only she had Valkoor's blood flowing through her veins as well, but it might mean... that Prophecy of Fire... could it mean that she was the one to defeat him?

Because she sure looked to be a necromancer at the very least.

Valkoor had to kill her. And fast.

Meanwhile, his pondering had gave Destiny a bit more time. Now she was on his kneecap, which protruded enough to give her a good enough foothold. Destiny paused for a second to catch her breath, then jumped again and resumed climbing.

Destiny was seriously beginning to annoy Valkoor. He plucked the Blade of Seven out from his own shoulder and was just about to fling it at her, if something hadn't hit his head- hard.

Valkoor's head whirled around to see that wretched Vladimir hovering on that skeletal dragon.

"Come on, you can do better than that!" Vladimir taunted before hunching his back over and guiding his dragon, who gave a splintering war cry, to ram into Valkoor's head again.

Hmm, who should he deal with first? Vladimir or Destiny?

Destiny.

Valkoor threw the Blade of Seven straight at Destiny's head, who immediately froze. Death was flying toward her, blade over hilt and hilt over blade...

What was she to do? Release her grip and fall to her death or stay here and have the very Blade she forged to kill her? It was death either way.

Before the Blade of Seven could pierce her skull, Vladimir quickly swooped down to get to the Blade before it got to Destiny.

Vladimir narrowed his eyes. Come on...

The dragon arced under the Blade and caught it in its lap behind Vladimir.

Destiny stared at Vladimir and the dragon. They had saved her life... just two hours ago she would think them much more likely to take it.

Vladimir twisted his body around so he could get the Blade of Seven from behind. The legendary weapon in his hand, he directed his dragon around cleanly, flew behind Valkoor and slashed the nape of his neck before flying away high above his head.

Encouraged by Vladimir's actions, Destiny nodded briefly to herself, reminding herself of her mission and proceeded onwards.

Valkoor's lips transformed into a snarl. He turned around slowly, trying to spot Vladimir...

Who had now flown near Destiny. "Catch!" he yelled as he threw the Blade of Seven rather gracefully.

Destiny wasn't scared of the Blade of Seven coming near her this time. She jumped off Valkoor's leg, snatched the sword in mid-air, then landed on Valkoor's other scaly leg, plunging it into the middle of his thigh.

Now Valkoor was very annoyed. He had to get rid of those two, and fast. Destiny and Vladimir had only been allies for a few minutes and already they were an astounding duo.

Destiny yanked the Blade out of Valkoor's leg and backflipped off of it onto his kneecap. There she scrambled and laid down as she stabbed the sword into his kneecap.

Valkoor roared in frustration, then finally took the liberty to bend down and smack Destiny off of him again.

This time Valkoor was successful in getting Destiny off of him, and the impact of his hand stung into Destiny's stomach, plowing her down into the ground. She barely even realized she was falling before she landed on the ground, on her back this time, and her spine was skidding across the ground and pain was arcing through her once more by the time she realized she needed to get back up.

The pain forced Destiny to stay down. She mashed her teeth together forcefully as if they were trying to break into each other in order to keep from crying out loud in pain. She couldn't let Valkoor know that she was in pain...

Destiny could hear Vladimir calling her name, and she realized too late that Valkoor was bringing his foot down on her.

His force sent the Blade of Seven skyrocketing from her hand, and once more she was sent flying, back skidding across the ground. Primary colors socialized in her vision, and she felt like she was teetering on a log although she was laying down...

Faintly Destiny heard the flapping of skeletal wings, but Valkoor was there first. She barely realized that Valkoor was picking her up by her ankle, then was tossed yet again like a rag doll.

This time Destiny knew she had to catch herself. She gathered every last ounce of strength she could possibly find, then landed on her feet.

Breaths tore their way free out of Destiny's mouth, and it took all she had to walk to the Blade of Seven, pick it up, and actually charge towards Valkoor-

Suddenly she felt a new burst of energy break free. The random spots of color faded, and her vision was suddenly much more clear. Edges sharpened, colors that were supposed to be there boldened, and she could pick out more details than she could when she felt like she was on the verge of death.

"Hey! Will you back off on killing Valkoor for a while? I believe it's my turn now."

Her head instinctively flew up towards Vladimir, but he was looking around, same as her. Then she caught just who the owner of the voice was-

Neela.

Neela, dressed in Fire robes instead of the Death ones Destiny had recognized her so well as, smiled cruelly at Valkoor.

"Hello," she greeted. "My show now!"

There was something in her voice, however confidant she looked, that quivered and needed to settle itself.

Valkoor narrowed his eyes, curious as to the newcomer. "And you are?"

Neela gripped her staff pointedly. "The one who's going to defeat you- Valkoor." She said the name sarcastically, as if she wasn't speaking to Valkoor. "Or should I call you that?"

Vladimir and his dragon stopped flying around, their eyes now staring at Neela intently. Should she call him that... what was she talking about?

Then he remembered that Ambrose had pretty much said the same thing- that he wasn't Valkoor or something.

"Or perhaps," Neela continued, half to herself, "I should call you Neela Waterpetal!"

Vladimir nearly fell off his dragon. What the... how could Valkoor be Neela if Neela was standing right there?!

Valkoor laughed uneasily, a laugh that echoed throughout the battlefield due to his massive height. The uneasiness was camouflaged very well, only a small part of his voice suggesting it.

"Right," he boomed. "I am not this Neela. My name is Valkoor Thorn, the Dragon Titan!"

"Okay, _Valkoor Thorn the Dragon Titan_," Neela used her hand to mimic a mouth, and repeated Valkoor's words in a high-pitched, mocking voice. "Personally- actually, you know what? I don't _care_ who you are. Point is, I'm gonna kill you!"

Right away Neela carved a Fire symbol with her staff. Destiny reached out a hand to stop her, tell her to leave it all up to her-

Wait a minute. That line. _Girl of Death and Fire..._

That could very well be Neela.

Destiny gasped at her revelation. So, did this mean... was she not going to die?

But if she wasn't going to die... that meant Neela would!

And having saw Ryan on his deathbed, his fate uncertain even though Jessica, Cody and everyone Sacrificed a portion of their energy to help him stay alive- Destiny couldn't bear to lose Neela, even if she had been an enemy of hers for a long time.

Remembering them Sacrificing for Ryan then caused her to realize- that burst of energy she had gotten. That had been from Neela, hadn't it?

So that meant... Neela knew about what she was going to do. Because unless she knew she was going to die anyways, she wouldn't have taken on Valkoor without much energy.

A phoenix shot from the Fire symbol, which angrily dove towards Valkoor. Immediately Valkoor tried to sweep the phoenix away with his hand, but his efforts were useless. The phoenix bit into his head, lighting it on fire.

Destiny smiled at Valkoor trying to hold it in, the fire gradually settling down. With she and Vladimir having weakened him, and Neela preparing to kill him... they were going to defeat Valkoor, weren't they?

A radiant beam of hope shone through her body.

Neela wasted no more time. Yet again a Fire symbol popped out of her staff's rhythmic movements, and in exchange a meteor shower hurled themselves at Valkoor.

Valkoor didn't waste time either. The Thorn Crest popped to life as well, creating an effective shield against the meteor shower. Then Valkoor quickly made that same symbol, bringing a radiant yet empty beam of light at Neela.

That sole beam of light shot systematically split into other black beams, then they all projected themselves at Neela. The beams had an effect on Neela, boring into her stomach and forcing her to stagger back.

Suddenly, a beam the color of ice shot out from Neela- immediately a confused expression contorted her face. Then shot out a fiery red one, a purple one, a yellow one-

Destiny realized that this was exactly what had happened in her duel with Vladimir.

She had always wondered how she had been able to do that. Now it made sense to her- somehow, as a Pure Descendant, she had been able to channel her enormous energy as a Pure Descendant and convert into a devastating attack.

The black and green rays appeared soon enough. They all mingled together, making a tan ball of swirling energy- then that ball hurled itself at Valkoor.

Valkoor had no time to prepare for what was coming. His eyes widened as the ball of energy, containing the power of all seven main schools, pommeled into his stomach.

The Ninth Legendary gritted his teeth, and bit by bit parts of his body began to crumble, like a giant hand squishing sand apart. Valkoor threw himself on the ground, trying not to crumble to death.

His strategy wasn't working.

Valkoor meshed his teeth together, feeling himself falling apart. His own body part were slipping and sliding, crumbling-

No. He would refuse to acknowledge it. He would stay alive and conquer the Spiral, even if he would do so by sheer willpower alone.

"No one can destroy me!" Valkoor screamed. "I am the Ninth Legendary! I am the Dragon Titan! I am Valkoor Thorn! No one, and I mean no one- can get rid of me permanently!"

Valkoor's words weren't exactly convincing. Even as he spoke, only his body from the waist up remained, and he had returned to his regular size.

Neela stared at Valkoor, half in horror, and half in pride. The sight of him denigrating was terrible, and she knew that she had done that-

But at the same time, she had been able to take on a Legendary and win, even if her soul was the one residing in it.

Valkoor screamed again, one so piercing that everyone felt as if they had to cover their ears with their hands otherwise they'd go deaf. Blinding black rays penetrated from his chest, bit by bit consuming what was left of Valkoor.

Destiny, Vladimir and Neela systematically turned away from the awful sight, as if seeing Valkoor collapse would mean their end as well. Slowly the light faded, and all three felt as if it was safe to look.

And when they did, no sign was left of Valkoor except a pile of ash.

They couldn't believe it- Valkoor Thorn was actually gone.

Neela let out a few breaths of relief. "I... I did it-"

Her words were quickly cut off when a sharp knife of pain stabbed into her chest. And the pain didn't just stand in one area- it was as if multiple rounds of electricity were racing through her whole body.

But at the same time, she felt relaxed. She could feel immense waves of power coming through her body. Her vision sharpened, her hearing was extended, and now physical objects that she touched would feel much more powerful. It felt as if the essence of magic itself was in her very fingertips...

Because maybe it was.

Neela straightened, looking at her hands and at her whole body as if she'd just transformed into an animal. It was the same, yet different. Around it held a radiant aura- an aura of power and peace at the same time.

The Force.

Neela's eyes widened, momentarily forgetting the pain. So this was what happened when she killed a Legendary, huh? Woah...

She wasn't celebrating for long.

Right at that moment, the very ground below her began to tremble, as if it was suffering from hypothermia. Many wizards scattered throughout the battlefield looked around, screamed, or, as most of them did, make a break for the Basilica.

Vladimir hopped off his dragon for a moment and immediately wished he didn't. "What's going on?" he bellowed through the chaos.

The situation was becoming worse- before they knew it much of the ground was splitting rapdily, as if being cut from giant scissors. As the cracks widened, lava began to seep out and overtake the rivers.

Destiny gulped, remembering what had happened at the arena, then she remembered what Nicholas Ashwielder had said long ago.

_"A world will fall..."_

"I think... I think the impact of Neela's spell is causing Dragonspyre to deteriorate!"

Neela froze, the color from her face melting when she realized that she was the one who caused this, even if she had done it to defeat Valkoor.

As if on cue, she felt the last of the Force came to her.

Neela's words tangled themselves up in her mouth. She knew what she had to do next.

She could see it all. By killing Valkoor, she would live, but only for a while. Bit by bit she'd deteriorate until she joined the afterlife.

But now, with the Force...

Neela shook her head anxiously. "Destiny, Vladimir, run, quickly!" she shouted suddenly.

Destiny didn't need to be told a second time. Right after Neela finished her sentence she made a desperate break for it, sparing a last look behind her- one filled with sorrow.

But Vladimir stopped running, spinning on his heels. "Neela, come on! Before Dragonspyre collapses completely!"

Neela just shook her head sadly.

Vladimir's face lost the hurried expression. "Neela... what's wrong?"

Neela shook her head anxiously, not wanting to explain this to Vladimir and put him through so much hurt beforehand. "It's nothing. I'll catch up with you later."

"It's not nothing. What's wrong?"

"Vladimir-"

"I'm not going until you give me an explaination!" Vladimir felt his voice rising, and immediately shrunk for raising his voice at her.

But Neela didn't care. She took a deep breath.

"Vladimir... I have to delay Dragonspyre from collapsing. I got the Force from Valkoor, and I'm using that to give everyone time to evacuate the world."

Vladimir stared at Neela for a few moments, not quite grasping the point- then suddenly gasped.

"Wait- no!" Vladimir cried. He gripped her shoulders as if he wanted to crush them into oblivion, and in that moment Neela's shoulders ached almost half as much as

Vladimir's heart did. "I just lost Llewella! I can't lose you too!"

Neela smiled assuringly. "Don't worry about me- besides, I'm going to die anyways, as a result of killing Valkoor. May as well do it now, you know?"

From a distance, Destiny had stopped to look at the scene. By now almost everyone had fled to the Basilica- all except her, Vladimir and Neela. What was going on between the two?

"But Neela-" Vladimir seemed to have difficulty breathing. And from a distance, Destiny could see something glinting on his face...

Was the ruthless Vladimir Thorn _crying_?

"I have to stay," Neela interrupted with a voice harsher than she intended.

Their eyes locked for a moment- eventually amber won.

Neela's shoulders slacked, and she placed her hands on his shoulders. "Vladimir, I... I..." Neela tore her head away and sighed, then brought it back up again, this time with a small smile on her face. "Point is, you're the greatest friend I've ever had. I'll see you again, soon. I promise."

Vladimir's throat constricted, then nodded, eyes pooling. For a few long moments he stared into her eyes... they were very bright in this angle...

"Go," Neela said abruptly, breaking the moment. "Get out of Dragonspyre along with everyone else. I imagine the Legendaries have left, so have everyone on both sides- now it's your turn. Don't have me die on you for nothing!"

Vladimir chuckled a bit, but it didn't remove the tears on his face. At long last, he turned around and ran away as fast as he could.

"Yeah, I'll see you again." Vladimir said again to himself, voice cracking. He believed in those words- and that belief was what held him from looking back.

* * *

><p>Neela swallowed down a gulp. Bit by bit, Dragonspyre was collapsing-<p>

She had to do it. This moment- it all came down to this. This might be even why she had been born.

It had been hard, saying goodbye to Vladimir. And in the end, she hadn't even mustered the courage to say what she had wanted to say.

No matter. She had to focus on the task ahead of her.

Neela closed her eyes. She could feel it- she could feel the Force resonating deep inside her heart, burning with great brilliance.

Slowly she allowed some of that brilliance to seep out of her body. She herself felt the Force begin to seep out of her...

Neela opened her eyes again and smiled, breathtaken.

The Force... when expressed outwardly, it was... beautiful. That was the only word that could hope to be used to describe it.

It was hard to describe the Force. It was like an outline surrounding her, all glowing in such iridescent colors and just like the sensation she had felt earlier when receiving it. It was like looking at the dazzling wings of an angel- powerful, yet peaceful.

Neela sighed in awe at the sight. All of those beautiful colors... a much more pretty last sight than all of the swirling magma and collapsing cobblestone around her.

Neela closed her eyes again and focused on releasing the rest of the Force outside of her. She thought of happy memories, her friends, good times, and the Order and Destiny here or there.

But Neela mostly thought about Vladimir. His shoulder-length black hair, his round aqua eyes, the way he threw his head back when he laughed.

Scratch the Force being the best last sight. Vladimir was.

Neela Waterpetal grinned broadly and let the rest of it out.

* * *

><p>Everyone looked grim, especially Vladimir.<p>

No one said a word. It was so quiet, you could hear a pin drop. All anyone could hear were the occasional wails of a baby and the shuffling footsteps.

Many people had died in the Battle of Dragonspyre. Neela, Headmaster Ambrose... at least Ryan lived, although his physical recovery would take at least a month. His psychological recovery a lot more.

It was time for everyone to sit down. Destiny looked all around her- Natalie was crying, Alexis trying to comfort her. Esmee and Jessica were sitting side by side, and for once Jessica wasn't protesting about how Life and Ice were lame. And Vladimir just sat there morosely.

She barely even payed attention to what the speakers said at the funeral. Sometimes she did hear a few speeches about Neela.

It was soon Vladimir's turn to go up after another one of Neela's close friends finised her speech. He too had been assigned to give a small speech about Neela.

Vladimir's eyes were downcast, as if he couldn't bear to look at everyone. "I spoke with Neela in her last moments," he said in a small voice. "She seemed more than willing to sacrifice herself for everyone else- something I truly admire. Neela... she was one of the most wonderful friends I could ever had, and sometimes I even had fantasized about it turning into something more."

Destiny could hear the holes in his voice.

Vladimir was overly relieved when he was allowed to step off the podium for Neela's mother to say a few words.

The rest of the funeral dragged on slowly. Morbid hymn after morbid hymn, too much crying...

But Vladimir had already cried all the tears he had to cry. Because of this, he showed no tears during the funeral, and he knew that others would be thinking him a heartless freak for that.

At last all the attendants departed. For the longest time, Vladimir was still sitting down. He only stood up when it seemed everyone else had gone- except for another person, head low.

Vladimir approached the figure cautiously. As he got nearer, he could see it was a girl, probably his age, with light blonde hair and morbid, shady blue eyes. Her soft chin pointed to an elaborate blue and white dress.

"Um, you okay?" Vladimir tried. He already knew the answer, but it didn't hurt to ask.

The girl looked up, then smiled wearily. "Yeah. Just that... Neela... she was my friend. We were very close."

That's when Vladimir recognized her as the speaker before him.

The girl chuckled a bit, trying to lighten the mood. "Anyways, my name's Isabella. Isabella Pearltamer. You?"

"Vladimir Thorn," Vladimir replied automatically.

Isabella raised her eyebrows. "I see. So you're that rich Marleybonian kid, huh?"

Before she could say anything else, a new voice cut in. "Vladimir- Headmistress Ambrose wants to see us."

Vladimir spun on his heels to see Destiny. She was one of the few girls who had worn dress pants for the occasion instead of a dress or skirt.

He nodded. "Right."

Vladimir followed her to the Headmaster's off- the Headmistress's office. When Redbeard Ambrose had died, Amber Ambrose had assumed the position quickly, even with a baby to look after and with a shattered heart.

He still felt quite responsible for his death, for Llewella's death, for Neela's death. If he just hadn't-

"Vladimir."

Vladimir hadn't even noticed that he and Destiny had arrived.

He straightened his back. "Yes?"

The Headmistress closed her eyes serenely. "You, Vladimir Thorn, were the one to revive Valkoor Thorn, am I correct? Neela may have finished it, but you did most of the work with planning it and whatnot, is this right?"

Weakly Vladimir nodded as Destiny shot him a concerned look. What was going to happen now? He could tell that he was going to be punished- severely- for his actions.

And he had to face it- he deserved it.

"I'm assuming that you must feel horrific guilt for your actions-"

Already Vladimir couldn't take it. He threw his face down so it could see nothing but the floor, his face twisting into a look of pure sorrow.

"I'm so sorry!" Vladmir said. "If I had known what would have happened-"

"Hardly anyone is blaming you, Vladimir. And if they do, I'll make sure that they take it up with me, all right?"

Vladimir stared at her in disbelief, lining up his neck and spine again.

"With the loss of your sister and friend, I think that's all the punishment you need," Amber continued, her back to Vladimir as she looked through a shelf filled with books. "But there is a line of the Prophecy of Fire that is still incomplete."

Headmistress Amber took a book out and looked through the pages for a moment, then her eyes rested on one page.

"Let's skip to the last lines, shall we?" Amber asked. "Part of the enemy shall deem himself good, a powerful rage unleashed."

Vladimir cringed. The first part mentioned Cody leaving him, and that powerful rage was the one he had felt when Llewella had left him.

"One that will reawaken him, with the power of the Legendaries."

Valkoor Thorn. Vladimir hoped that the Prophecy wouldn't throw all of his mistakes back in his face.

"A soul split, blood and carnage will follow in his wake, Death shall fully claim a numerous population, the Holder of the Force being one in death arms... passing down and becoming Thorn's Burden."

Amber looked up, barely giving Vladimir time to react. "Vladimir... I think this means you."

Vladimir took a step back in shock. Him... the Holder of the Force? But...

Destiny said it before he did. "That's not a punishment, that's a reward," she protested. Then she looked back to Vladimir and embarrassingly added, "Not that I want you to get punished or anything, but-"

"It is both a curse and a blessing," Amber intercepted. "But whether you discern it as a reward or punishment, this is possibly the largest responsibility anyone can possibly imagine. You have the essence of magic at your fingertips yet you must control it severely and only use that added power in a time of great need."

Amber took a deep breath. "As of now, I am the Holder. But I can choose to give it to someone else if I wish it so. And I do- with being the Headmistress of Ravenwood and my son to look after, I don't think I could take on the responsibility. But you, Vladimir... after the Battle of Dragonspyre, I think you have a sense of responsibility. You now see a very fine line between good and evil when it is so thin for the rest of us."

"But I'm a Descendant of Valkoor," Vladimir said. "I mean, my ancestors have a bloodstained history. What makes you so sure that I'm the right one for the job?"

Amber smiled so warmly it felt that she could melt a tundra just with that smile alone. "Just the fact that you're humble about it affirms that you are the right one for the job. Now, do you accept?"

Vladimir raised his eyebrows, still unsure of what to say. He licked his lips and shuffled his feet. Destiny was right- this did seem more like a reward than a punishment.

And Vladimir had gone crazy with trying to resurrect Valkoor- how was he so sure that he wouldn't go crazy with this as well?

But then Vladimir thought of Neela and Llewella. They had both died on his watch. Perhaps Neela was foretold to die, and perhaps Llewella had chosen to sacrifice herself, but that didn't mean that he still didn't feel responsible for their deaths. He should have never revived Valkoor...

And he had to make sure that didn't happen again. What if he _could_ prevent later deaths? If he wanted to help the ones he loved avoid death, he would have to start by protecting them. Perhaps accepting the Force would be the best way to do that.

Destiny witnessed Vladimir nod determinedly. "I do."

With that, Headmistress Ambrose stretched her arm out, and Vladimir placed his hand in hers. Nothing happened at first, but slowly a radiant, powerful yet peaceful aura surrounded the both of them until they were completely encased in the light...

Then a faint tingling was heard, like a miniature explosion. All at once it began to secede, and Vladimir was staring at himself as if he had just grown an extra arm but couldn't find where it was.

Amber nodded. "Vladimir Thorn, you are now the current Holder. You are excused."

Vladimir didn't exit for a few moments. Then he finally gave a quick nod and walked out, Destiny quickly following.

"So how does it feel?" Destiny asked once they were outside. "You now contain the Force, what's it like?"

Vladimir's face contorted, as if he was trying to decide which expression to use. "Difficult to say," he said at last. "You feel as if you can do anything, because you can. But at the same time, it's like walking in a minefield- you never know when you're accidentally going to let it loose."

"Do you regret receiving this?"

"Mmm, partially."

Destiny took a deep breath and stared on ahead. Wizard City still looked the same with the clear lake, ripe grass and graceful sky. The sky was even more beautiful at this time- the funeral had been in the early morning so the attendants could spend the rest of the day paying their respects. Due to this the sun was just barely beginning to take to the sky, slowly illuminating the sky a vivid painting of reds, purples and yellows.

"The sun's coming up," Vladimir noted. "Finally- we have some light."

Destiny nodded. "Yeah- a new dawn."

She closed her eyes gently, remembering all of the things she and the Order had gone through, all the places they'd been, the Descendants and Shards they had to find...

It was hard to believe that the thrill of it all was over. Destiny would miss that feeling of adrenaline she got every time she battled Vladimir or Neela, the victory of whenever they achieved something great, or even those strangely prophetic dreams she got once in a while.

On another hand, she was grateful for it.

Destiny opened her eyes again, squinting when she found she was looking into the sun. She lowered her eyes and smiled. She could finally relax.

* * *

><p>"Seriously? That's it?"<p>

"Yup. After all, all stories eventually come to an end."

Angie rolled her eyes defiantly. "Well yeah, but this one didn't have to! After all, I remember someone saying that a story is never finished, only abandoned."

"Well, I'm afraid that I'll have to abandon this for now." I gave a small smile to my little sister. After thirteen days, one part a day, she had grown unbelievably attached to the story that I had made up as I went. It was very amusing to me to see her reactions to everything I told, as if she were three years old again and not eight going on nine. However, her love for the story just might backfire on me right now.

"But still! That's the worst way to end a story- with a death! Why did you make Neela die? WHY?!"

I giggled. "Well, her tale had to come to an end especially. And if she hadn't died, than everyone else would have."

"And Vladimir. Oh my gosh why was _he_ the one to get the Force in the end? He doesn't deserve it!"

"It's both a punishment and a reward," I found myself quoting Amber Ambrose. Truth be told I had grown very attached to poor Vladimir Thorn in the end. At first he was just meant to be some random, narcissistic villain- but he had turned out very different. "Well- aside from the ending, did you like it?"

Angie's frown instantly broke into a smile. "Did I like it? Are you kidding me- I loved it!"

Screams outside abruptly rung through the air outside before either of us could say anything more, followed by a loud rumbling that made me want to shrivel up under my study desk.

But I didn't do that. I crossed over to the door and flung it open, eyes anxiously scanning Ravenwood to check out what was happening. The screams were even louder now, and everyone may as well have been running around in circles.

"What's going on?" Angie yelled through the chaos.

"That's what I'm trying to find out!"

A new voice joined us. "Alyssa!"

My head turned to the familiar voice- Valdus Nightheart, one of my closest friends.

"What's going on?" I repeated the question to the conjuror.

"I'm not too sure!" Valdus yelled, trying to speak even when he was shoved aside by a fleeing wizard. "But I'm pretty sure it's coming from the Death School!"

I threw my head back to see Angie's face, which looked like a picture of horror.

"Th-the Death School?" Angie quivered. She had hated her school at first, but my story had helped her adjust to it. "I wanna come too!"

"No, Angie, stay here," I warned as I drew my wand out of my purple robe.

"But-"

I took a step outside, but before I joined Valdus, I backtracked momentarily and flashed a smile at Angie. "Don't worry- I think you're right. It's not over yet."

I shut the door behind me before I could see Angie's reaction.

THE END


End file.
